In the Dark
by paper.creations
Summary: Jasper Whitlock is the newest employee at the Brookfield Institution for the Mentally Unstable. But on his first day on the job, he breaks the most important rule: 'Don't talk to the patients'. And even worse, he finds himself attracted to one
1. Chapter 1: Decisions

**Book One  
****Jasper**

**Chapter One: Decisions**

**. **

**"I picked you up and lifted your wilted frame into the sun... Sunlight, sunshine, all for you my Daisy. We're getting this before you leave, all for you my Daisy."**

**-Daisy, The Maine**

**.**

I wandered slowly down the halls, stopping at each numbered door to peer into the slot, making sure everyone was safe inside. For my first day on the job, I thought I was doing pretty well.

The last door in the hallway was room and patient 19-5-5-18. Doctor Zelner, the head physiatrist, wouldn't tell anyone the patient's real names. _"Just call them by their room numbers'_ he had advised me as I headed out to make my rounds for the first time.

I slid open the metal slot tentatively and peered inside. Unlike the other rooms – which were harshly lighted – this one was completely black. The only light was from the hallway, which bled into 19-5-5-18's cell.

"…Patient 19-5-5-18?" I called.

"Do you know what that stands for?" A small, feminine voice asked from the gloom. I pulled back, my hand moving to close the small hole, but I couldn't.

"What does it stand for?" I asked softly, breaking the only rule Zelner had given me.

"Seer," she sighed. I frowned and peered intently into the dark cell, looking for the person behind the voice, but I couldn't make her out.

She was still in the room – my job was done. I closed the slot and plunged Seer into the darkness once more.

It wasn't until that night that I realized where she got the name from. The letter S was the nineteenth number. The patient's numbers meant something.

.

I slammed the shutter closed as patient 1-14-7-5-18 lunged at me with his hands curled into claws and his face twisted demonically. I backed away from the heavy metal door until my back bumped into the stone wall of the hallway. I slumped against it, trying to catch my breath.

"You okay?" I whipped my head around to find the source of the sound, praying it wasn't an escaped patient. I sighed in relief to see the janitor, Frank, coming down the hallway. I pointed weakly to Anger's door, and Frank laughed.

"Yep, he's one crazy son of a bitch. Have you met Hungry?"

"…No, why?" I glanced at Hungry's door, which was beside Anger's.

"Be careful around her," he warned, "She seems nice and sweet, but once you mention food she attacks worse then Anger."

"Why is she here?"

"She refuses to eat. Skin and bone she is." John said, and I shuddered. Some people here had truly disturbing problems.

My wandered back to Seer. "What do you know about 19-5-5-18?"

"Hmm. She claims to have visions of the future. Her parents brought her in and told the town she died. Got her a grave in the cemetery across town and everything. It has her day of death as the same day she was brought here." There was an odd look in his eyes.

"Do you believe her?"

He checked to make sure we were the only ones in the corridor. "Look Jasper, don't tell anybody I said this, but…I _do_ believe her. I really don't think she should be here." He whispered.

"Do you know her birth name?"

He shook his head, "Only Doctor Zelner knows that. He has a whole bunch of files on the patients."

We parted ways, but my mind was stuck on our conversation. He believed Seer, which made me curious about her. What was her real name? What was her family like? What was she like?

I checked on the other patients in a daze and before I knew it, I was back at her door. I wasn't going to talk to her. I was just going to make sure she was okay and then leave. No need to break the rules any further.

"Hello?" I called after sliding open the rusty metal rectangle. There was no reply. "…Seer?"

I began to worry, and I pulled the metal key out of my pocket and opened the door, which protested with a shriek. The room was flooded with light and I could see her in the corner of the room. She was leaning against the wall, sitting with her arms slumped beside her and her legs straight out. Her face was vacant.

I quickly noticed how gorgeous she was. Her black hair was cut close to the scalp in the uniform almost buzz cut of the patients and her glassy eyes were a deep, sapphire blue.

I knelt down beside her immobile body and gently shook her. "Seer?"

The vacant look evaporated from her eyes and she blinked.

"Are you okay?" I asked. She nodded and looked around in confusion.

"What are you doing in here, Jasper?" She asked, pinning me down with her eyes.

"You weren't answering…How did you know my name?" Unease slid across her face.

"Are you sure you want to know?" She asked, with fearful eyes. I nodded and she sighed," I saw you conversation in the hallway."

"How? We were so far away from your door; you couldn't have heard us…" I trailed off when I realized what she meant by 'saw'.

"I saw it before it happened." She clarified, still looking uneasy. I studied her beautiful face carefully, looking for any signs of madness that were hidden away in most of the patient's faces, but I couldn't see any. Maybe Frank was right. Maybe she didn't belong here.

"How long ago?" I asked, but she shook her head.

"I don't know, I can't keep track of time in here." She said, shrugging her shoulders. There were no windows in the small, square brick room. Her voice was hoarse, as though she hadn't used it in a while.

"How long have you been in here?" I asked, and she rolled her eyes to the ceiling, thinking.

"I was committed on November fourteenth, 1918. I was seventeen. What's the date now?"

"It's July twenty-third, 1920." Seer nodded, looking thoughtful. "Are you always left in the dark?" She nodded again and her eyes clouded over with an emotion I couldn't quite decipher. It was almost like fear, pain, anxiety and despair all rolled into one.

I had only been on the job _two_ days and I had broken the cardinal rule – don't talk to the patients – and I felt _something_ towards one of them. Something other than pity.

"You should go. Doctor Zelner is coming soon and if he catches you in here you will get in trouble." Seer said, sounding tired.

"Did you…_see_ that?" I asked tentatively. Her mouth pulled up slightly at the corners, almost a smile.

"No, he always comes by around this time with his nurse to administer medication and do daily therapy."

I shuddered, thinking of the large needles I saw the nurses walking around with yesterday. Seer was so _tiny_; I couldn't picture them sticking the over-sized needles in her thin, frail arm.

"I thought you couldn't tell the time in here?" I asked, puzzled.

She rolled her eyes, "Well, he always comes shortly after you, or the man who came before you." She clarified. Abruptly I realized that she knew my name, but I didn't know her real one.

"What's -"

"Shh! Someone's coming!" Seer hissed and I stood quickly, giving myself a head rush. What should I say? Nice talking to you? See you later? Sorry I have to keep you on this dark box? I didn't get a chance to say a proper goodbye, because she shooed me from the room, never moving.

I wondered what she had been like before she was condemned to this place. She had been committed two years ago on November fourteenth. Frank had said she had been admitted the same day her parents announced her death.

The cemetery across town was pretty small…how many people could have died on the day? She was born in 1901, from her age.

I had a fierce desire to find her tombstone. One that was totally irrational.

I knew I shouldn't care about her past. I shouldn't care what her name is, or where she was from. I was the one keeping her locked in the small dark room. I _shouldn't_ care.

But for some reason, I did.

,

Later that day I found myself wandering through the rows of headstones, trying to make out the names in the fading light. I cursed under my breath, wishing I had brought a candle or _something_.

I peered closer to one grave and read Pamela Dowling's dedication. Born, January nineteenth, 1904. I sighed and moved to the next one.

_Mary Alice Brandon_

_Oct. 16, 1901 – Nov. 14, 1918_

_She will be sorely missed_

Is this it? I thought excitedly, brushing it off with my hand and reading it over and over again.

Mary. Her name was Mary. I was ecstatic that I knew that about her now.

_She will be sorely missed_. It seemed like a rather unemotional and impersonal thing to put on your daughters grave marker. But then again, they knew she wasn't dead. Not in body, at least.

It made my stomach roll to think of little Mary buried deep beneath my feet. I pushed the image from my mind and started the long walk home since I left my car behind.

The whole way I kept repeating one thing, burning it permanently into my mind.

Her name is Mary.

.

I was excited to get into work the next day. I could finally call her by her real name: Mary.

I worked impatiently, waiting non to patiently for the time when I could go to Mary's door. My feet jittered while I sat at my desk doing paperwork; I paced the lunchroom while I supervised the patients who ate – I didn't see Mary – and I rushed through checking the other patients, not even giving Angry enough time to react to my presence.

I worked in a whirlwind, and in record time I was outside Mary's door. I opened the slot, careful not to bang it and looked inside. It was black, as usual.

"Hello?" I called softly, praying she wouldn't answer and give me a reason to visit and give her some light.

As if she could read my mind, she didn't respond. I unlocked and pushed the door open to see her _exactly_ where I left her. She was still slumped against the same wall, her arms still lying in the same position beside her and her legs out straight in front of her.

"Hi," I said, and she turned her head to look at me. The muscles in her neck strained as she shifted her head an inch. I frowned but didn't say anything.

"Hello," I noticed how strained her musical voice sounded, but once again I didn't say anything. Maybe I just hadn't noticed it the days before. I extended my hand to her to shake her hand.

"Hello, Mary, nice to meet you." I said as politely as possible. My nerves betrayed me, and my southern accent shone through thicker then usual. I sighed inwardly; I guess there were some things you could never get rid of.

Mary stared at me in shock.

"How did you know that was my name? Are you special too?" She asked hopefully. She seemed to have forgotten my hand, so I lowered it, slightly upset that I didn't have a reason to hold her hand, if just for a second.

"I…went to the cemetery." I said, suddenly expecting anger for my snooping. She just had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"I didn't see that." She said softly.

"Can you see everything?" I asked.

"No, but I thought I would see something concerning me. I saw my parents locking me in this dungeon." She said, looking around the room with despair in her eyes.

"Huh," was my genius response and we lapsed into silence, which was exactly what I didn't want. I didn't know how long I would be able to be here, and I didn't want to waste a second. I was trying to come up with something when Mary broke it.

"I don't like that name." She said softly.

"What name?" I asked.

"Mary. She was the small girl in the suburbs who thought her parents loved her." She said, her voice devoid of emotion. My heart hurt to think about parents who could do this to their children, but then my stomach dropped at the realization that I was the one keeping her in here, not her parents.

I was pulled out of my self-loathing by a faraway banging noise and a shriek.

"It's Zelner and his nurses. You should leave." She said, the same mixed look in her eyes as yesterday, but there was something different today, something new added into the mix. I frowned, unable to pinpoint what it was. I left with no parting words, same as yesterday. I closed the door, locked it and went home.

It wasn't until I was lying in bed at home that I realized what that new emotion was.

Anticipation.

.

I sat at my kitchen table at home, anxious to get to work. For the past week and a half I had been back home in Texas, keeping my mother company while my father was in the hospital. I ate my breakfast and thought about a peculiar conversation I had had with my mother.

"_Why are you so restless?" My mother asked, eyeing my drumming fingers. I sighed and interlocked my hands together to stop my chronic fidgeting. "Are you bored already? You've only been here five days."_

_"I'm not bored, mother. I just miss…work." Her eyes brightened, and I couldn't believe I almost said Seer instead of work._

_"Really? Do you find your job interesting? Because if not, you could still work with your father at -"_

_"'I'm perfectly happy at my job." I said and my voice was sharp. She raised an eyebrow and brushed her blonde hair back from her face._

_"Then why do you sound so tense?" She asked pointedly._

_"I…miss the patients." I said, dancing around the real problem. My mother seemed to know that I wasn't telling the full truth and she stared my down, her mouth set in a tight line._

_"You're not telling me something, Jasper." Her voice was laced with disapproval. "Please, Jasper," she said softly, "I'm worried sick over your father. Don't make me worry about you as well." She pleaded. I sighed, caving in to her will._

_"There is one patient in particular who has," I searched for the right word, "sparked my interest. She says she has visions of the future, and after two years she still believes it." I left out the fact that I also believed her. Mother shook her head sadly and stirred her tea._

_"That is so sad. I thank the Heavens everyday that I have a healthy, beautiful son." I rolled my eyes. "What are you not telling me?" She asked softly._

_"It's nothing, mother, honestly." She shook her head._

_"Jasper Whitlock, you tell me what is going on!" She demanded. When I stayed silent, she took a guess. "Does it have something to do with this girl who can see the future?" _

_I stayed silent, which she took as a yes._

_"Jasper, why? You have _feelings _for a _sick _person! This is wrong. It cannot be allowed." I clenched my jaw and refused to acknowledge her argument. I had no idea why I was upsetting my mother over Mary. We had had _two_ conversations, three if you counted my first day, which I didn't. It made no sense to worry my mother over something that could never happen, but I couldn't help it. Mary, Seer, or 19-5-5-18 had captivated me._

_"Promise me, Jasper, please. Promise me that you will not do anything with this girl. Let her be. She needs to get better." I nodded swiftly and stood._

_"Fine," I snapped and stormed away, which was childish. I strode out of the kitchen and under my breath my muttered, "She needs no cure."_

I sighed, remembering the tension that had enveloped the house after that feud. My father had come home – bandaged and bruised from falling off the bridge he was constructing – to find us almost at each other's throats. I had left shortly after he came home and drove all night to get back to my real home.

Finally it was time to go to work and I got up. I quickly put my dishes in the sink and practically sprinted out the door and to my car.

The drive was onerous and felt longer then usual, but eventually the large brick building rose from the horizon and a grin broke out on my face. I parked my car and strolled into the building, my spirits high.

"Good morning," the receptionist greet with a wide smile. I nodded, smiling in return and continued to my office.

My morning went by in a breeze and it seemed like no time I was standing outside Mary's door, eager to make up for the lost week and a half I was gone.

I knocked lightly on the door and opened the slot.

"Seer?" I asked and she didn't respond, allowing me to come inside. I took one step and froze.

She was in the _same_ spot that she had been a week and a half ago. Why did she like that spot so much? Or could she not move…

"Hello, Jasper. I thought they had replaced you." She said, her voice rough and cracking.

"Hi, Mary, and no, not replaced." She shook her head.

"That's not my name anymore. Mary is long dead." She announced and it sent a shiver down my spine.

"…Dead." I repeated dully.

"Dead."

"So I should call you what, Seer?" I asked and she looked thoughtful.

"Yes. I don't have a name." She decided and I became angry.

"Do you like it here?" I asked angrily and she shook her head, which seemed to expend a large amount of effort for her. "Then why do you let them win? They're taking your away your hope!" Her jaw clenched.

"They already have!" She hissed, "Or didn't you guess what wing you supervise? This is the _terminal_ wing. The place you go if you have no hope of getting cured! I didn't use to be here. I used to have another doctor, a nicer one. I could go to the cafeteria with the other patients, and we could talk to each other! It was a place filled with _hope_. Now what? We're stuck in the terminal wing. I have no hope because I am defeated."

I had never been so angry before. But I wasn't mad at Seer anymore. I was angry at my job and at myself. At what we did to these people.

I left when the sound of nurses drifted down the corridor. Once again, we didn't say goodbye. It seemed to be becoming a bad habit with us.

There had to be something I could do to help her. I locked her door and closed the metal slot, leaving her in complete darkness.

I passed the nurses on my way out, letting my eyes linger on one of the large needles in their hands.

I slunk back into the shadows and watched unnoticed as the blonde nurse entered the room Hungry was in. Two men were holding the girl who wouldn't eat down as she thrashed and kicked, trying to knock the syringe out of the nurse's hand.

"No! I don't want to be numb!" She screamed and another man entered the room to grab the poor woman's legs. She continued to scream and twist in her captor's hands, but I couldn't make myself move to help her.

"Why don't you just accept it like everyone else?" The nurse hissed.

"There's noting wrong with me!" Hungry cried and tears leaked down her face. "Please, don't," she whispered, but it was too late. The nurse had plunged the sharp needle into her arm and injected the clear liquid into her system. Hungry continued to squirm, but her attempts of escape became slower, like the air around her had turned to jelly. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed, her chest barely moving as she breathed.

"She'll be awake when the doctor gets here." The nurse said, and she and the three strongmen left the room. I shrunk back into the shadows more, trying to hide from them. They didn't notice me as they walked by, moving into Anger's room. I heard him attack and from the cracking sound and his triumphant laughter, he connected with one of them.

I stepped forward and eased the metal slot open. I peered into Hungry's room to find her slumped on her cot. Her whole body seemed to be paralyzed. I shuddered, pulled the slot closed and made my way back up the hallway.

I checked every single patient on my way out, and every single one of them laid there, paralyzed from whatever the nurses had injected.

What was going on in this place? I finally decided on what I had to do. I needed to get these people out of here, especially Mary. I could save them all.

But how?

* * *

**A/N: **Feedback on how you liked it would be lovely! I hope to update soon.

Thank you for reading!

-Maggie


	2. Chapter 2: Set in Motion

**A/N: **I'm updating on time! How unexpected. I hope you like it! It's double the size of last chapter :)

Thank you so much to: musiclikelove, ilovejasper20, SaveTheWolvesOfLaPush, Tianna M.V.A., oXDanceFanaticXo, :], Cold Desert, JK5959, karencita c28, Moonglitter2, Lilah Aine, reader13lovesbooks, You'reTheMoon, xTwilightForeverx, EdgeStrife, Teliko. x3, Jacquie Whitlock, pop-pop-bananas, MTG4U, :P, and Ryolatwentytwo

Thank you so much for reviewing!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Jasper, Alice or anything Twilight that you might find shoved into this chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Book One**

**Jasper**

**Chapter Two: Set in Motion**

It had been one week since I saw the nurses in action, and I still had no plan. What _could_ I do to save the patients? If I tried to execute a jail break I would be letting loose people – Angry in particular – who could and probably would hurt innocent bystanders. But I couldn't just _leave _them here. I sighed angrily at my utter uselessness.

I stormed down the corridor – I had just arrived for a new day of this maddening place – and was stopped by non other than the infamous Doctor Zelner.

"Hello, Doctor Zelner." I said through clenched teeth. He smiled at me and put his arm around my shoulder, leading me towards his office.

"Jasper, my boy, how are you enjoying your position at this fine institution?" I snapped my mouth closed to suppress several things I wanted to say, all of them ending with my resignation and a few choice swear words.

I smiled winningly at him. "It's been wonderful, thank you, Doctor Zelner." He didn't notice the false not in my voice which tipped off my lie.

Zelner opened the door to his office and my eyes went directly to the large wooden cabinet that must have held the files on the patients. My fingers itched to get a hold of them.

Doctor Zelner dropped his arm and sat behind his desk. I took the opposite seat and shifted uncomfortably when I saw him observing me over his steepled fingers. Oh God, he had heard that I broke the only rule.

"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here, Jasper." Doctor Zelner started, "Many of the other employees think that you aren't suitable for the jobs you are currently charged with."

Shit.

"Really? I thought I was doing an okay job…" I said, my voice weak. Doctor Zelner leaned forward and rested his forearms on the desk.

"Well, they thought differently." He said darkly, and my heard started to race. I would never see Seer again. I wouldn't be able to help the patients escape. I had failed.

Suddenly, Doctor Zelner was laughing. Not a regular laugh, but a side-splitting laugh of insanity. Dear God, the entire asylum was contagious.

"Your face!" Doctor Zelner choked through his laughter, his face turning red through the exertion. After what seemed like hours he finally got a hold on himself. He straightened himself in his leather chair and smoothed out the wrinkles out of his white coat.

"What I mean is, the other staff members think that you excel at all your given tasks. With much consideration, I have decided that you deserve a promotion."

"…After only five days?" I asked incredulously.

"No! You've been with us for two weeks." He corrected.

"No, I was with my mother for a week and a half." He frowned, deep in thought and then he shrugged.

"Oh well."

I stared at him blankly, but my thoughts raced through my head at breakneck speed. A promotion. Maybe that could help my cause.

"Are you not excited?" He asked. His face fell slightly, like a child who has been denied his favorite toy.

"No, I am excited. Thank you very much, Sir." His face lit up.

"No need for 'sir', my boy. Just call me Mortimer. Mort for short." He chuckled, "That rhymes!"

I sat in stunned silence. Was _everybody_ in this place mad?

"What would my job be?" I asked impatiently. This delusional man was delaying me from the duties I had to do before I could visit Seer.

"You will be my new assistant." He announced happily, but I failed to see how that would be a promotion.

"And what would I do as your…assistant?"

"Well, I'm leaving town for two weeks. You'll be in charge while I'm gone."

I had my opening.

"That sounds fantastic, Mort." I said.

Zelner smiled with the enthusiasm of a small child, "I thought you would be pleased."

,

I hurried through the rest of my day, which was filled with paper work and congratulations. I made sure to be as personable as possible, since these people helped me achieve promotion, but by the end of the day, my patience had run thin.

It was an enormous relief to escape the employee break room and start the long trek down the hallway I now knew was the Terminal wing.

Usually I would have blown past the rooms, but I felt the need to stop to check on Hungry. For the past week she had been in an intensive care unit and she was to be returning to her cell today.

I slid open the metal slot and peered into the room to see Hungry staring out of her small window.

"Are you all right?" I asked and she turned to glare at me. Her cheeks were sunken in and her long blonde hair was stringy.

"Like you care." She snapped and turned to look longingly out the window once more.

"I saw what they did." I whispered, and she stiffened.

"So what, they always do that." She growled, but there was hurt in her voice.

"I didn't know they did that. I'm so sorry."

She flew at the door and her face was suddenly very close to mine. Her brown eyes penetrated me.

"Then let me out." She begged, and stupidly I nodded.

"I'm going to try. But I can't just yet."

"You're honestly going to let us out?" She asked, her eyes widening to the size out saucers.

"Yes, I promise I will get you out someway."

"You'll lose your job." She warned and I snorted.

"Why would I care about that? This place is a hideous abomination."

"Thank you." She whispered and then she turned to go back to the window, but I had to ask just one more thing.

"What's your name, if you don't mind me asking." She heaved a sigh and continued on her path.

"Hailey," She sighed. I slowly close her slot so I wouldn't disturb her. I _would_ free Hailey and Seer. That much, I was sure of.

I finally reached Seer's door and I knocked lightly. I had tried to talk to all of the patients on my way down, but only Hailey would talk to me. She seemed like the only sane one besides Seer. Apparently, I could only save two.

"Come in," I heard her say faintly from the other side of the heavy metal door and I unlocked it and swung it open, shedding light on poor Seer. She looked worse than usual, and I rushed to her side.

"Are you alright?" I asked and she exhaled deeply, nodding. I sank down beside her in a crouch.

"I'm just tired." She sighed, letting the back of her head knock against the wall.

"I'm going to try to execute a jail break." I whispered and she smiled, her eyes closing.

"I know, I saw."

"Do I get you out -"

"Your plan is already set into motion." She said cryptically. She frowned, "something's missing."

She sat perfectly still in the same spot she was in everyday. Her brow furrowed as she tried to puzzle out the future.

I examined her carefully. Her arms and legs were practically sticks - all skin and bone. Her skin was snow white but I couldn't tell if it was her natural complexion or whether it was the lack of sunlight. She looked like she was wasting away. I need to act fast.

Seer's blue eyes snapped open in panic.

"What happens?" I asked gently. I wanted to put my hand on top of her – to touch her – but I was too cowardly.

Her face clouded over, but I could still see the anxiety in her eyes.

"It's nothing. Everything I can see will go according to plan." She assured me, but the way she said it made me nervous. Something was going to go wring, I could tell.

"Do you know when I will do it?" I asked and she looked thoughtful.

"Not really. I know it rains. I could hear it outside my cell." She said wistfully. At least I made it to her in her vision. As long as I got her out, everything would be fine.

The banging of the nurses began down the hallway and I stood.

"See you tomorrow." She said, locking her blue eyes on my brown ones. I smiled and left but not before I heard her whisper: "We'll see if you still want to rescue me then…"

.

All that night I had wondered what she had meant by "we'll see if you still want to rescue me then." Why would I change my mind? I lov-

"Jasper, my boy, there you are!" Doctor Zelner said, stopping me in my tracks and halting my current train of thought. How could I love someone I barely knew? But I could have sworn that was what I felt last night in her cell…

"Tomorrow I'm leaving, so today I'm going to show you the ropes." He announced and then he led me to his office.

I couldn't love Seer. That was impossible. Implausible.

We entered the small room he called his office. He closed the door, and I began to feel trapped. The room seemed to shrink in on me.

Doctor Zelner directed my attention to the wooden cabinets. "These hold all the patient's records. They show medical records, basic information and their treatment plan here at Brookfield."

"How are they organized?"

"Alphabetically by last name." I would be able to find Seer's file quickly, but Hailey's would be trickier, since I didn't know her last name. I would get them out, that I was sure of.

But not because I loved Seer. Because I didn't love her…

Maybe just a little.

,

I was extremely surprised by how little the Doctor seemed to do.

All morning we milled around his office. I never had one moment alone so I could grab the two files and hide them. If I got them out, I couldn't have their records floating about. But it didn't matter that I didn't get them today; I would have plenty of time once Zelner left.

We went to the staffroom for lunch like I usually did and out of habit I stood, about to go to check the patients before the nurses did their rounds.

"Where are you going?" Doctor Zelner demanded.

"Um…to check on the patients?"

"No, I got a replacement for you while I'm gone. You get to stay right here." He patted the seat next to him.

Oh goody.

"You'll be accompanying me as I make _my_ rounds. You, of course, can't administer psychiatric help in my absence, so the nurses will just up the dosage until my return. Then all you have to do is make sure they're okay after."

I nodded, sickened, and waited impatiently for his rounds to start. We didn't get to go until the nurses and their strongmen came into the room, looking like a war party returning home from a triumphant battle. The whole place made me sick.

Finally Zelner stood. "Time to go," he announced and I sighed in relief. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. He _was_ a doctor. They were trained to help patients. And of course, seeing Seer's face again would make the day a whole lot brighter.

,

Horrified was an understatement. I couldn't believe what was happening. I didn't want to. Forget the promotion, I didn't want it. I wanted to go back to being utterly oblivious.

Doctor Zelner was a monster. He couldn't actually _be _a doctor. No doctor would force feed Hailey. A real doctor wouldn't beat Angry to show him 'how it feels'. He was sedated, for God's sakes!

I was terrified to see what he would do to Seer.

"I keep her in the dark so she losses one type of sight." Zelner informed me as he locked her door. I swallowed hard and followed him into her cell.

"How are you today, 19-5-5-18?" He asked, standing over her with his hands clasped behind his back. I hung back, close to the door. She flashed me a quick, panicked look.

"I'm fine, thank you." She replied politely. I could practically feel her panic. Her eyes began to lose their focus and Zelner sighed.

"The paralyzers always cause this." He sighed. She was having a vision.

Doctor Zelner crouched down beside her and jutted out his fist, making a loud connection to her ribs. I lurched forward and she gasped in pain, her eyes focusing in pain.

"Don't do it, 19-5-5-18." Zelner warned, and Seer struggled to stay in the present, but her eyes began to unfocus again. She couldn't stop it, but Zelner was going to try. He took another shot, and this time something snapped.

"Get off her." I growled and yanked him backwards. I knelt beside her gently and lifted up the tattered tank top to reveal black and blue splotches all across her side. Her blue eyes continued to focus and unfocus; the future demanding attention while the pain held her in the present. A moan escaped her lips and her head slumped forward.

"What's wrong with you?" Zelner demanded, pulling himself off the floor. I stood and faced him, using my body to block Seer from his view.

"You can't treat them like this!" I hissed and Zelner smiled at me patronizingly.

"I was just like you once." He said, "But you'll get over it quickly." I stared at him with wide eyes until he physically removed me from Seer's room. I was too stunned to react.

"You're in charge tomorrow, but don't think that means you'll have free reign." He warned as he pulled me back up the hallway. "The guards will be watching you as closely as they watch the patients."

Things just got a bit more complicated.

I looked back to Seer's cell, hoping she was okay. God, I hoped nothing was broken.

I _would_ rescue her.

.

All I was doing was planning a jail break. That wasn't too big of a deal. My plan was well on its way to success. I had stolen the medical records from the cabinet, which was easiest. Hailey's file was nothing special and I looked it over with little interest. Hailey Scott was her full name.

But Seer's file held the most interest for me, and I spent hours pouring over it, absorbing every detail about her life. She had a younger sister, Cynthia. She also had a scar on the inside of her right knee from a childhood incident involving a tree climbing accident. There wasn't much, but there was enough to make me feel a little closer to her.

There was a knock at the office, and I hid Seer's file in one of the multiple drawers of Zelner's desk.

"Come in."

One of the nurses stuck her head in the door and pursed her lips at me.

"It's time for your rounds." I sighed and stood. I wanted nothing more then to sit and read Seer's file, but I had to make the insidious rounds and watch the patients struggle to breathe through their paralyzed state. Nothing made me happier.

I slid the slots open one by one, checking to make sure all the patients were breathing. They were out cold, unlike the time I had gone around with Zelner. The nurses had upped the dosage. Even after five days of this, of me taking his place, I just couldn't get over how dead they looked.

I opened Seer's door. She was the only one whose dosage had stayed the same. From her file they had always given her the maximum. That's why she never moved. She was always paralyzed.

"How are you?" I asked softly, crouching beside her. The slightest shudder traveled through her body, which was amazing. She could hardly move.

"It hurts." She said, her voice breaking from the strain of holding in the tears. The physician who works at the hospital said that one of her ribs was cracked and that she shouldn't move if she wanted them to heal. Good thing they had her so doped up.

"I promise I'll get you out." I said passionately, but she looked almost hesitant. Her left hand – the one closest to me – twitched. Something was different about her today. She could move more freely. Had they reduced her prescription because of her injury? Was it because it would react to the painkillers, or because they wanted her in pain?

I hesitated, but lightly placed my hand on hers and she smiled in relief. It was like a shock to my system, kind of like when you get a static shock from metal. I almost pulled my hand away, but it wasn't unpleasant. I liked the shock.

"You feel it too?" She asked, peering at me intently.

I nodded, "What is that?"

"Maybe you'll find out later." She said cryptically. It must be a future thing, so I pushed it back into the recesses of my mind.

I never knew when to leave know that I came later. There were no nurses to interrupt us, and no other responsibilities waiting for me in the office. If I wanted, I could stay here forever.

"You should go," she said and reluctantly I pulled my hand off her and stood up.

"I _will_ free you." I said fiercely, and she nodded, almost in a placating way.

"Of course you will."

.

My day started with a bang. Literally.

I was trapped in a dream…

_I was in a cell like Seer's, except there was some form of light, because I could see her as clear as day._

_She was slumped in the corner, her corner, the one she never moved from. But something was different. She looked…wrong._

_I rushed to her side and checked for a pulse. But there wasn't one. She was dead, and I was trapped in her cell, with her dead body. _

_I slammed against the heavy metal door, the door I had locked so many times. It was locked, by someone who had my job. I pounded and kicked and yelled, but nobody came. I was alone. Seer was dead._

_The lights went out._

I sat up in bed, shaking. Of course, the swing of me sitting up somehow caused me to fall sideways, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

I laid there in a dim, silent pain until I heard it. It was raining.

I untangled my legs from my blankets and rushed to my window, pulling the curtains aside, and there it was. A bleak, dark, glorious day. A rain filled day of hope. I remember our conversation once: _"Do you know when I will do it?" "Not really. I know it rains. I could hear it outside my cell."_

It was raining today. It was my chance.

Today was the day. Today I executed my jail break.

,

I prepped myself on the way to work. Today had to go smoothly and without a hitch. I had to take control.

I was going to have to convince the nurses that I was okay to handle the patient's sedation. I needed to be the one in charge of the needle. It would be the only way I could sneak Hailey and Seer out. They couldn't be paralyzed.

It took the long way there to make myself calm down. I attempted to radiate authority, but it didn't seem to work. I felt ridiculous.

The large stone building pierced the skyline and I felt my façade falter with nerves. God help me. I would need it.

I parked my car and took measured breaths as I entered the building. A shiver passed through my body as I pushed the doors open and the smell of disinfectant hit me. I never realized how terrible the place smelt until now.

I went straight to my temporary office and grabbed Hailey and Seer's files and took them to the adjacent bathroom. I drowned them in the sink, watching the ink slither off the page and down the drain. They were one step closer to freedom, but I still had a long way to go.

I waited for the files to disintegrate into mush and then tossed them into the garbage can. Hopefully nobody would recognize them for what they actually were. I could only hope today.

The next thing was to convince the head nurse that I should be the one to sedate the patients. That was going to be more difficult, since she had been given specific instructions by Zelner that I shouldn't be allowed near the patients until they had been injected.

I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and pushed open her office door. Nurse Myra looked up from her paperwork.

"What do you…" She trailed off when she saw my expression. I was trying to stay calm and look authoritative, but I hated this woman, and I was afraid it leaked into my face. "What can I do for you?" She asked breathily.

"I think it's time I take over the sedation of the patients." I said coolly, and she frowned. I could see the internal struggle in her face – my confident request versus Doctor Zelner's instructions when he left.

"I…can't let you. You know I can't." She said and her eyes implored me to forgive her. Too bad I had no patience today. I couldn't risk an extra second here. Those documents could be found at any time, and then the plan would be found out, I would be fired, and Seer would be stuck here forever.

"I'm ready, Myra. Please?" I said smoothly, leaning over her desk so our faces were close. Her breathing came in shorter intakes and she looked dizzy. If she passed out it would be rather easy to rescue them.

"I…" the rest of it died in her throat. "I can't…" I begged her with my eyes, which sent her over the top, surprisingly. "Okay," She nodded and exhaled.

"Thank you so much, Myra." I thanked her softly and she looked faint again.

"Anything for you, Jasper." She promised and I almost rolled my eyes. How I despised her…

I flashed her a smile and promised to be at her office just before her rounds started. It was almost too easy, but this was just the beginning. I still had to take down the strongmen that would follow me into the rooms, I had to get Hailey and Seer out of their cells, and then I had to get them out of the institution and out of the state, maybe even the country.

,

My plan shaped itself while I waited for the time when I could see Nurse Myra again. Then it would be time to leave, and I would never look back as we left Biloxi in our wake.

I strode down the hallway and entered Nurse Myra's office to find her, the second-in-command nurse, and the two strongman crowded in the small room.

"Hi, Jasper!" Myra said, waving with an infatuated smile on her face. The second-in-command nurse, Joanne, raised an eyebrow at Myra's reaction to my presence.

"You're coming with us on the rounds today, Jasper?" Joanne asked, the two strongmen glaring at me from behind her.

"No, I'm making the rounds myself, Joanne. Right, Myra?" Myra nodded, of course, but Joanne looked down her nose at me.

"I'm under strict instructions by Doctor Zelner to keep an eye on you, as are they." She gestured to the two huge men behind you. "You can handle the medications, but we watch."

This was an unforeseen complication.

"You'll just get in my way." I said haughtily and I looked imploringly at Myra.

"Maybe you could only supervise him for a couple patients, so you know he has the hang of it?" She suggested. Joanne threw her a sharp look, but Myra was as much her boss as Doctor Zelner.

"Fine," Joanne snapped, "we'll watch you for three patients. But if you slip up _once_…" She let the threat trail off, but I knew what would be my consequence if I messed up under her watch. I would be finished.

"Fine," I agreed, not letting my nerves show. She seemed taken aback at my confidence, but sneered and gestured for me to lead the way. I turned on my heel sharply and headed down to the terminal wing. The entire way I prayed that I wouldn't be caught so close to my goal.

We stopped in front of the first door, which I remembered as the brain dead patient's room. He had gotten into an accident at his work – which was the same as my fathers – and he had never woken up again.

Joanne handed me the syringe filled with the sedative and I opened the door and went in. The man known as Blank laid on his cot, perfectly still, as he always did. I approached slowly, afraid that he would spring up and attack me. I looked back to find the metal slot open and Joanne's sharp gray eyes following my every move.

I prepared myself with a deep breath in and I stuck the syringe into his arm and pushed the medication in. I waited for some kind of reaction, but nothing happened. He continued to lie there, as though nothing had happened.

It boosted my confidence, and I strode out of the room, shoving the empty needle into Joanne's hand. I opened the next door, Joanne gave me the shot, and I entered.

This room held Child, the man who had the mental capacity of a small child. Doctor Zelner never figured out what had happened to cause it, but we all knew it was a terrible tragedy. I wished I could save him, but no one would be able to support him in the real world. How could anyone accept a full grown, forty year old man who acted like a juvenile seven year old?

The man was sitting on the floor cross-legged, playing with wooden blocks. He would stack them up into a small three level pyramid and then swat his hand to make them tumble.

The blocks clattered to the floor with a sharp rap as I approached him. He halted his clean up to look at me with wide, child-like eyes. My heart jolted. I couldn't do it. But I _had_ to.

"Want to play?" He asked, holding up one of the blocks that was painted with a red K. I shook my head and squatted beside him, blocking him from Joanne's prying eyes.

"I am so sorry." I whispered and he tilted his head, confusion painting his face.

"For what?" He asked and I gently stuck the needle into his arm. He didn't squirm, and his brown eyes held my own until his lids began to droop.

"For this." I removed the needle and picked up the man, which was hard since he was so large. I laid him down on the cot gently and shoved the door open, knocking it into Joanne. I shoved the needle at her and continued down the hallway.

I had just passed the empty room beside Child's when I felt her hand close around my arm.

"You're missing one." She said, pulling me to a stop in front of the empty room.

"Nobody's in there." I said, but she shook her head.

"We got a new admittance today. I guess you didn't read the paperwork." I clenched my jaw and grabbed the next needle.

"Just sedate this guy and we'll leave you alone." She said and I unlocked and entered the room, eager to have her leave.

There was a man sitting on the cot, his head in his hands. He heard me enter and he looked up, a wild look in his eyes.

"I know what you're thinking. You think I'm crazy, but I swear I'm not." He said, his eyes begging me to believe him.

"I'm sure you're not, sir, but I need to give you this." I said, approaching slowly. There was something off about him, and I was wary.

"No, you don't believe me, but I swear I'm sane. They misunderstood me when they asked me why I was in the forest. I was there because I had just been on a long run. I hadn't realized I had wandered into human territory, I was to busy chatting with my brothers." He said calmly, believing every word.

"What do you mean, 'human territory'?"

The man's face turned red and he stood, shaking with anger.

"Don't make me angry! You won't like me when I'm angry!" He growled.

"Sir, please calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down! I will explode on your ass! Just watch me; I'll maul you to pieces in my wolf form!" He scrunched up his face and concentrated. I took it as my only chance and darted forward, sticking him with the needle and injecting him. His eyes snapped open and he swiped at me, knocking me backwards painfully. He yanked the needle out of his arm and crumpled onto the floor. I dragged him to the cot and laid him down. The needle was shattered on the ground from the fall.

Joanne had called Frank, and he swept up the needle's shards.

"All right, you're free to go on your own. Would you like Barry and Louis to come with you?" I eyed the strongmen.

"No, thank you."

The three and Frank said goodbye and left me with the rest of the needles. Once they disappeared around one of the bends I dumped the needles in Blank's room, since he couldn't hurt himself with them. I dashed down the hallway to Hailey's room first and whipped it open. She was staring out her window at the dark, rainy day.

"Let's go." I said and her face filled with happiness.

"Today's the day?"

"Yes. Now let's go get Seer." Hailey walked out of her room cautiously and she examined the hallway with intense enthusiasm. She had never been outside her room. Everything was new to her.

I let her investigate the bricks and I ran down to Seer's room, opening the door and rushing to her side.

"It's time." I told her, and she whimpered. She looked…hesitant. "…Seer?"

Her eyes started to well up, "Jasper…I don't know if I can."

"What do you mean?" I felt my forehead wrinkle, and all my previous confidence shattered. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she didn't wipe it away and I couldn't move to do it myself.

"You don't understand," she cried, but she didn't seem to want to explain.

"Tell me why I don't. Please." I was begging, but it was from my very soul. I felt something for her that I couldn't explain or identify. It was tearing my heart apart at the seams.

"I can't…"

"I know why." Hailey said, appearing in the doorway. "You're hooked, aren't you?" Alice looked up at her in surprise, tears hiding her blue eyes.

"How…?"

"I could hear them talking when they would leave my cell. It was one of the nurses first day and she asked why they gave the little girl in the last cell the same amount as the large man who used to be beside me."

They had been over-dosing Seer, making her unable to move and slowly addicting her to it, so she could never leave, even if she ever became cured.

"Is that how come you never move?" I asked, and she nodded, her gaze piercing me.

"I don't think I can anymore." She said simply, "but I know I can't leave."

"You want to stay here?" I asked, revolted. "He beats you, Seer." I lifted up her ratty tank top to reveal the mottled bruising the distorted her side. "You need to see a real doctor."

Hailey lightly took Seer's other hand. "I know it's hard, but I'm telling you it's worth it. I already think it is and all I've seen was the hallway."

I realized how valuable it was to have Hailey here. She could help Seer leave, since they shared similar experiences. I couldn't relate to them at all, I had grown up getting virtually everything I wanted, since my parents were well of and I was an only child.

"It'll be so hard," Seer whispered and Hailey rubbed soothing circles into her hand.

"But Jasper will be here to help."

I ached to touch her: to trace her cheek, to kiss her hand, anything. Anything that wasn't plutonic. But I couldn't – not yet, anyways. I couldn't scare her off. But I _would_ get my chance. I would rescue her.

Her eyes started to lose their focus.

"Okay." She whispered as she fought to retain consciousness. "But someone will need to carry me."

"I will," I said and I picked her up as gently as I could and cradled her against my body.

"See you when I wake up." She said softly, smiling a smile that made my heart hurt. Her eyes unfocused and her body went limp.

"Is she okay?" Hailey asked, standing up.

"She's fine. Let's go." I walked swiftly out the door and Hailey followed after me, closing Seer's door for the last time. Now we had to find an exit, and quickly. I hovered uselessly with Seer in my arms.

"Don't you have a plan?" Hailey asked and I shook my head.

"This as far as I got in my plans." She heaved a sigh and inspected the long corridor.

"Is there a back exit?"

I shook my head, "patients could escape through it."

She laughed darkly and looked up the hallway toward the offices. "Is there a place were people can visit their mentally ill relatives?" She asked slowly.

"Sure, in the outpatient rooms upstairs."

"And where did you put the needles?"

"In the first room on the left."

"And you have the keys for the room?"

"Where are you going with this?" I demanded, and Hailey took off to the first door on the left.

"You're going to grab five needles, and then we're going to go to an outpatient room, where we will sedate a man, a woman and hopefully a girl. We will take their clothes and we will walk out of this hospital pretending to be a family. Understand?" She growled.

"…Yes?"

"Good, now unlock this door, Jasper, so we can get the hell out of here."

,

Getting the needles was easy. I unlocked the door and Hailey grabbed them, all the while Seer was out cold in my arms, her blue eyes hazy and faraway.

Surprisingly, getting to the staircase was simple. I cradled Seer in my arms and Hailey walked between me and the wall so people wouldn't notice her at first. We hurried past Nurse Myra's office and thankfully the door was closed with her inside the room.

We climbed the stairs warily, and I went ahead to watch for guards while Hailey cradled the needles in her arms carefully.

Another stroke of luck hit once we got to the outpatients wing. The very first room contained a patient with his parents and younger sister.

"What are you doing here?" The mother asked.

"Hello, my name is Jasper, and I'm an employee here. This is Hailey, and she's Mary."

"Is Mary alright?" The father asked in concern, and I hated the fact that we were about to sedate them.

"She'll be fine, she's tired." In one hand Hailey hid four of the needles, and in the other she held one. She went up to the patient.

"Nurse Hailey has the last increment of your medication, and then you're free to go. Mary's getting this room next." I lied, keeping my face guilt-free and authoritative. The family smiled at me, completely trusting me. I was a terrible person.

Hailey only injected the patient with half of the dose. I set Seer down carefully on the small couch and took two of the needles from her hand.

"I'm sorry," I said and then injected the mother and daughter with half the amount in the needles. Hailey got the father, and before any of them could make a sound, they were out.

"Don't feel bad, they'll be fine." Hailey reassured me as she started to strip the mother of her main clothes. I did the same to the father. Quickly, the mother was wearing Hailey's prison clothes and Hailey was dressed in a blue dress. The father was wearing my white pants and short sleeved shirt, while I wore his brown pants and maroon sweater. I felt guilt crawling through my system when I saw the little eight year old girl dressed in Seer's tank top and shorts while Seer was dressed in a pink dress that somehow fit her quite well, but it didn't look right.

I checked the room one last time, picked up Seer and we were on our way.

"I'm a terrible person," I muttered on our way down the stairs.

"No you aren't. Now shut up and pretend to be my husband." She said, linking her arm through mine.

"I'm not very comfortable with this," I said, referring to her hanging off my arm. She stopped dead in her tracks and I almost slipped down the stairs.

"With pretending to be my husband?" She asked incredulously. I nodded and she exploded, "I don't like you like that! Do you know why I was admitted? Because stupid Becky liked my fiancée so she had me sent to this hell hole so she could have Brett all to herself!" Her face was flushed and her features were set into a stubborn pout.

"…Sorry?"

"It's okay," she huffed and then I was being dragged down the staircase once again.

She slowed when we reached the lobby area, and I could see dirty footprints on the spotless linoleum where Hailey and I had walked up. The cells were filthy, creating a direct path to where we had been. Luckily, we had changed shoes. Unluckily, it would lead whoever followed it to the unconscious family.

I pointed it out to Hailey, who started to panic.

I shushed her, "If we get out quickly, they won't have time to follow the tracks to us."

We kept our heads down and Hailey turned Seer's face so it would be hidden by my chest. She was starting to stir.

We walked as slowly as we could past the main office, trying to stay under the radar and then suddenly, we were outside. We were out, into the cold, dark, rainy day.

Hailey laughed and ran down the front steps, her arms spread wide. She laughed as the cold rain splattered her face.

I started to descend the stairs and Seer came to when the cold rain hit her small body.

"We're out," she whispered, her big blue eyes looking up at the sky. She was still limp, and I guessed the paralyzer was still in her system.

"We did it," I said and her responding smile was angelic.

"We're free," Seer laughed, turning her face up towards the sky. "I guess I need a name now. Seer isn't something you can call me in public." She said thoughtfully.

"Do you know what's its going to be?"

"Not my first name. Maybe my middle name. Alice."

Yes, Alice fit perfectly.

"Hello, Alice, how are you?" I asked politely, my accent unearthing itself.

"I'm very good, Jasper, thank you."

Now all I had to do was make her realized how much I loved her.

* * *

**A/N: **Just so you know, this isn't the end. It's the end of Jasper point of view, though. For the next/last two chapters, it will be Alice's point of view and watching through her eyes as she struggles to adjust and all that jazz.

I hope the chapter was okay, and as always, please review!

-Maggie


	3. Chapter 3: Time to Go

**A/N: **Voila! Alice's first point of view. It's a lot longer then I intended, but it's done and finished exactly where I wanted this chapter to end.

A couple notes: I've never experienced withdrawal, so I'm totally making it up as I go along.

The different symbols to create breaks mean something, if you haven't gotten it yet. A comma means the next paragraph is later that day, a period means that day is over and a dash means it's a vision.

This is the second to last chapter. I only intended this story to be four chapters, just so you know.

Also, special thanks to Shadow . Raven . x for letting me use part of her dialogue from chapter sixteen, Storytime in her fabulous story Everyday Moments of Perfection. I highly suggest you read it! One of my _favorite_ lines in fanfiction is "I love you too, Mr. I-Am-A-Lowly-Pauper?" :)

Thank you to my amazing reviewers: **reader13lovesbooks**, **ultimatecozzie**, **You'reTheMoon**, **musiclikelove**, **xTwilightForeverx**, **Cold Desert**, **MTG4U**, **Moonglitter2**, **Ryolatwentytwo**, **TacoKato**, **HeswamtoFrance**, **JK5959**,** I** **. Am . A . Human . Being**, **ilovejasper20**, **Pyromaniac-Girl**, **Tianna M.V.A.**, **Shadow** **. Raven . x**, **karencita c28**, **hawaiian princess**, **Tear of Mist**

I seriously can't thank you guys enough. Twenty reviews! Forty-one for two chapters! You're amazing!

--chapter two is names after The Maine's song, Time to Go. Love it, love the band – I highly recommend them! –

**--- **_**Yes, **_**there **_**is**_** something different about this chapter. I won't be able to update as soon as I wanted, and the cliffie I left you and myself totally screwed me up. It gave me too many options, and after rewriting the opening scene three times with three different options, well, I added it here to make chapter four **_**so**_** much easier to write, and I couldn't stand leaving you with that terrible ending for the rest of the year!**

**I only added five little paragraphs at the end. Nothing else has changed, so you can scroll right down, if you want. **

**Special thanks to those who guessed at what he was going to say. This **_**and **_**next chapter are dedicated to: **Moonglitter2**, **JK5959, Cold Desert, ultimatecozzie, Jacquie Whitlock, Haru Itonami **for guessing **

**Extremely Special thanks to **Tianna M.V.A **for her wonderful PM. I'm sorry I didn't respond, I just didn't know what to say to it! It stunned me speechless, in an extremely good way! I can't express my gratitude!**

**There's a new authors note at the end of the chapter concerning a sequel and other things of that sort, so please read it at the end. Enjoy the chapter! --**

* * *

**Book Two**

**Alice**

**Chapter One: Time to Go**

**.**

**"You make the street lights reappear, I feel bright when you stand near, I know what I am when you are here, my place becomes so clear"**

**-Drive My Soul, Lights**

**.**

I could feel Jasper's arms around me as he brought me into his house after the fast and furious drive away from the hospital. The dress I was in was itchy and I was sure I looked idiotic in the frilly pink contraption.

Hailey, I believe her name is, held the door open for us and Jasper carried me up the stairs and laid me down on his bed. _His_ bed! I had seen visions of us together as a couple, but the very thought of lying on his bed sent me into a schoolgirl hysteria, or something very close to it.

Jasper kissed my forehead and I tried to contain my jealousy when he shut the door with him on the _wrong_ side of the bloody thing, leaving him alone with Hailey. I knew Hailey was nice from what I saw, and I knew she was searching for someone she loved as much as I loved Jasper, but it was still hard for me to think of him with another woman. I was new to this whole 'love' thing, and jealousy was just one more emotion that I was going to have to conquer.

To distract myself from the two of them and my increasing self pity, I reflected on the past two years on my life, which contained more conflict and deception then most people faced in a full life time.

My past was blurry; visions and real life blending into a mess of half-forgotten memories. There was one day – or vision, I wasn't sure which – that had followed me like a lost puppy, next getting mixed into the others. It continued to dog me through the two years of torture, 'treatments' and solitary confinement. It was the only memory that forced itself into my mind every time I felt a shred of hope.

-

I was sitting at my mirror, scrutinizing my seventeen year old face as I counted my brush strokes.

"One hundred," I muttered and put the brush down, carefully fixing my hair. The brushing had given my black hair a nice healthy shine. I stood and readjusted the purple dress I was wearing and danced down the stairs, eager to meet the mysterious guests. My mother hadn't said anything about them, but told me to get into my best dress.

I entered the sitting room to see an older man with graying hair flanked by two large men was sitting on our couch. My father and mother were sitting on the loveseat opposite, their hands intertwined and my mothers knuckles white. I skipped over and sat on the armrest next to my mother. She freed one of her hands and pulled her fingers lightly through my almost waist long hair.

I could hear my sister Cynthia laughing in the backyard as she played with her dolls.

"Nice to meet you, my dear." The older man said, smiling. There was something wrong with his smile, something… ominous.

"Mary, this is Doctor Zelner." My father said. The Doctor reached forward to shake my hand, and I took it lightly, not wanting to be rude. He gripped my hand tightly and pulled back, jerking me forward and hitting my shins on the coffee table. The large man on his right lunged forward and grabbed me. I was confused, what was going on?

My mother started sobbing, and my father's face – once so full with happiness – was a blank slate as he watched the two large men hold me still.

"What are you doing?" I screeched. They both had one of my arms and Doctor Zelner was out of kicking range. My sister, hearing my scream, came running into the room, her eyes wide with fear.

"Let her go!" She cried, and ran straight to Doctor Zelner and hit him with her little fists. My father stood and pulled her off the Doctor and held her between him and my mother, who had followed my father off the couch. Cynthia struggled between the two of them.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"They're going to make you better, Mary." My mother promised, tears flowing down her face.

"We're taking you to the hospital Mary, because your parents tell us you like to lie. Good girls don't lie." Doctor Zelner said, pulling a long shiny needle from his bag.

"I don't lie," I whispered, my eyes locked on the silver object in terror.

"You've been telling your parents you have _visions_ of the future. Good girls don't do that. All we want to do is make you better, so your parents can be proud of you again." He advanced with the needle, his thumb over the injector. I leaned back from him, but the big men holding me kept me in place.

"I don't lie," I repeated, looking over at my family pleadingly. Cynthia's eyes were huge and fearful; my mother was shaking with sobs, her knuckles white as she gripped Cynthia's shoulder; my father was standing straight, his eyes locked on me with a cruel indifference.

Doctor Zelner was suddenly right beside me and there was a prick in my arm. He had stuck me.

I lost control of my muscles, and I fell limp with only the two men holding me up.

-

I gasped for air as I dragged myself out of the painful memory. The murmurs in the other room stopped, and Jasper poked his head into his bedroom to check on me. He was too sweet. If I hadn't seen us together, I would have insisted that he was too good for me.

"Are you alright, Alice?" He asked, seamlessly using my middle name instead of my given name, Mary. He would do whatever he could to make me better, and I thanked God – if there was one – that he had saved me.

"I'm fine, Jasper, thank you." I put as much emotion as I could behind those five words, and he smiled beautifully at me before closing the door. I felt jealousy flare up again, but I really had no reason to be jealous of Hailey, but I couldn't help it. She was with Jasper and I wasn't.

I stared up at the ceiling in frustration. I still couldn't move, and aches were starting to form all over my body. There was a pain in my chest, like a dull throb that steadily got worse – which was probably my withdrawal from the paralyzer - making it almost unbearable in God knows how long; there were no clocks in the nice room. I felt closed in again, like in the cell, except this room was nicer. I was still alone and unable to move, with Jasper on the wrong side of the door.

I could feel tears starting to well up, but I didn't want to. Jasper would be able to see that I was crying, since I couldn't wipe the tears away.

Of course, the idea of being so helpless around my soul mate pushed me over the edge and tears began to spill, leaving cold, wet trails down the sides of my face, my ears, my neck and then into the pillow.

I yearned for an escape and I halted my breathing. I could just hear the faintest murmurs from the other room, and I itched to know what they were talking about. Was Hailey making a move on my Jasper? Were they talking about me? Would he be back soon?

Like a gift from God, I could feel myself detaching from my body, and the ceiling became unfocused. Usually I only had one vision every one to two days, but since my life had been so turbulent lately, I was getting two in one day. It was unsettling.

I relaxed what little muscles I had control over and flew forward, into the immediate future…

-

I could see Hailey and Jasper sitting at a kitchen table.

"What will you do now? You're welcome to stay here." Jasper said. He was so kind.

"I have to go find my fiancée." Hailey said, her lips set in a thin line.

-

My vision moved forward, leaving Jasper and Hailey behind. I was following… _my parents_. It was my _parents_. My mother and my father. My _family_!

My mother had taken on some gray hairs, and my father had lost some of his black hair. The last two years had aged them terribly, and I could see my now ten year old sister skipping between them, both of her hands in theirs.

"How come we're visiting her _now_?" Cynthia demanded, a smile fixed on her face. She seemed happy and healthy.

"The doctor asked us to." Their father said shortly.

"Are you excited to see your sister?" Their mother asked, and my stomach lurched – or it would have if I technically had a stomach in my visions. My _parents_ were visiting me! I could feel tears slide down my face faster back at Jasper's house in the present. I had finally escaped, and I missed my parents visiting me. If only Jasper hadn't come, or if my parents had cared enough to visit in the first two years of my incarceration.

-

I was pulled away from family, and I was with Doctor Zelner, of all people. He was back in his office, so this had to be over a week in the future.

He was furious and his face was an unhealthy shade of red.

"_Two_ patients? Where are their files?" He roared and everyone in the office – the nursing staff and the two strongmen – shrank back from their boss's fury.

"Whitlock must have taken them." The head nurse suggested. She was the only one who dared to speak. The look Zelner gave her should have melted her.

"_Taken them_! How the hell could he have done that when I ordered you to _watch his every God damn move_?" He yelled, making my ears hurt.

"We'll find them," one of the strongmen promised and Zelner looked livid.

"You better damn well think so! Now get out of here, you lot of incompetent, low life, Neanderthals!" The employees filed out, and the scene shifted again.

-

I was back at Jasper's house and somehow I knew I was watching just before I wake up. I could see myself lying in the bed, tears streaming down my face. My body flinched; I was probably watching myself watch Zelner's rage. How odd.

Jasper sat beside me on the bed, holding my hand and rubbing my arm soothingly. Hailey was on my other side, pressing a cold cloth onto my forehead.

"Is she alright?" Jasper asked Hailey desperately, but she just shook her head.

"How am I supposed to know?"

He clutched my hand to his chest and bowed his head over me, looking terrified.

"You really love her, don't you?" Hailey asked softly, and Jasper's head snapped up.

"I really think I do."

A smile played on Hailey's lips, "You know, I read a story once. It was about this sleeping princess and the only thing that could wake her was a kiss from her prince."

I knew where this was going, and my heart skipped several beats back in my body, but Jasper seemed confused. "What does that have to do with us?"

Hailey rolled her eyes, "Kiss her, you idiot."

Jasper audibly sucked in a deep breath, but it wasn't to brace himself because he didn't want to, but because he was terrified to screw it up. Oh, dear God, he loves me! I had seen it, but to witness it so close to the present was mind boggling.

He leaned over my vision-trapped body and lightly pressed his lips to mine, in the sweetest gesture I had ever seen

We had had our first kiss, and I wasn't even conscious for it! My anger bubbled over, and finally the vision released me.

-

I peeled my eyes open and Jasper's face was closing in on mine, his beautiful brown eyes concealed by his eyelids. I had come back at the perfect time.

I let my eyes close, and I felt his warm lips press against mine ever so gently. I struggled to not move and wreck the moment by trying to jump him, which would only scare him since I couldn't move. I could smell his intoxicating scent, like cinnamon. I must have reeked; they only bathed us once every two weeks there, and he had sprung us the day before bath time.

I could feel space grow between our faces and I let my eyes drift open so I could watch him retreat. His brown eyes captured mine, and his face broke out into a relieved smile.

"I told you so," Hailey sung under her breath.

"Are you alright?" Jasper asked worriedly, and I shook my head. Words piled up on my tongue, and I couldn't form anything that resembled a sentence. I had to tell him about Zelner. Would he want to know about my parents? No, I wouldn't tell him.

I shook my head, but that's all I could get out at the moment. I needed to calm my nerves so I could tell him about the impending danger.

"I need a bath," I squeaked, and Jasper looked taken aback slightly. He had obviously expected me to tell him the world was ending, but instead I requested some personal hygiene.

"Can you move?" Hailey asked, bless her. I shook my head; I haven't had full control over most of my muscles in two years, and going through withdrawal wasn't making it any better.

Jasper's face flushed, like I was expecting him to bathe me. Hailey looked over at Jasper's face with amusement.

"Would you like me to help you?" She asked, and I nodded. Words in my head wrestled to from sentences, but I couldn't think of a way to say what was going to happen. I couldn't wreck their hope just yet, we had _finally _escaped. I couldn't tell them we would probably have to go back, and Jasper would most likely end up on the patient side of the door this time.

Jasper picked me up and carried me to the bathroom, the whole time I was hyperaware of how badly I must have smelled, but he made no indication that my smell bothered him. He lightly placed me into his bathtub and left, closing the door behind him. Hailey helped me undress and washed me.

"So, you love him?" She asked as she rubbed my back clean. It felt wonderful.

"Very much so, Hailey."

"Have you seen me find him? Brett?" She asked, hope buried in her voice, making me sad.

"No, but I've seen you talking to Jasper, telling him you're leaving to find Brett." I told her. "That's the first step, the first decision." I turned my head to see her nod absentmindedly.

"I _will_ find him." She vowed, and I nodded my head, positive – or as positive as I could be without having a vision – that she would, in fact, find him.

Another wonderful thirty minutes later, and I was clean and fresh-smelling. It was only when I was completely dried and dressed that Jasper came back in. He kept his head ducked and his eyes lowered to the ground when he lifted me gently from the bathtub.

I desperately tried to catch his gaze, but the way he was holding me and his fixation with the ground prevented me from seeing his gorgeous brown eyes.

Hailey rolled her hazel eyes at us and followed. I prayed he wouldn't isolate me again. Not in the bed, I begged mentally, please!

Like he could read my thoughts, Jasper carried me out of the bedroom and laid me onto the couch softly. Hailey sat on the ground by my waist and Jasper reluctantly took the arm chair when Hailey threatened violence if he didn't stop insisting she take the chair.

"Feel better?" He asked politely once we were all settled.

"Yes, thank you."

Jasper leaned forward in his chair and finally, after a reluctant pause, found the words to ask me, "What did you see?"

I swallowed hard. "Doctor Zelner is going to try to find us." I said slowly. I looked at Hailey, "You're going to leave us to find Brett."

I want to go back, I almost added, but it was left unspoken, hanging invisibly at the end of my sentence.

Jasper swore and then apologized for doing so in our presence.

My wonderful southern gentleman.

Hailey was nodding, "Yes, I should go find him. The sooner the better."

"What will we do, Alice?" Jasper asked me, and I couldn't meet his gaze.

We could go back to the asylum to meet my parents. But I couldn't say that. He had risked everything to rescue me. I couldn't make him take me back.

But my parents!

"I don't know yet."

I was beginning to feel an ache deep in my muscles. It burned red-hot through my veins. I could feel a bead of sweat trickle down my back.

"Would you like dinner?" Jasper asked kindly. Hailey nodded –she always seemed to be hungry – and stood. I shook my head. Food wasn't what I was craving.

They went into the adjacent dining room and I was left to the ache. I could feel it in the very depths of my being. It infected my heart. Something wasn't right, this shouldn't be happening. I had never felt like this when I was in the asylum. Maybe there was something in the paralyzer that I needed. Maybe I really was sick, and it had been helping me.

I groaned softly, and shifted as much as I could. The pressure in my chest was gradually getting worse, and I could feel my sweat on every inch of my body. I wanted to cry, but I wasn't that weak. Yet.

The uncomfortable ache escalated while Jasper and Hailey were eating. I didn't want to interrupt them; they had been so patient with me. I already considered Hailey to be some form of a sister, and Jasper was my soul mate, of course. They had already done so much for me; I could let them eat dinner.

Maybe.

I heard the scrape of a chair and footsteps getting closer by the second. Someone was coming to check on me.

I tried to wipe the sweat of my brow, but my arms hung limply at my sides. Jasper came into the room and stood awkwardly by the door.

"Are you alright?" He asked, and I struggled to give him a reassuring smile, but he frowned. How could he tell I wasn't okay?

"I'm fine," I assured, but he didn't look sold.

"There's enough for you, if you want some." He said, a look of unsure vulnerability washing over his features. _God_, I loved him.

"Thank you, but I'm fine. You should give it to Hailey; she can never have enough it seems." I said, joking lightly. He frowned, but nodded and disappeared into the dining room again.

I let out a harsh sigh, making sure to keep it down. I didn't want Jasper or Hailey to hear and get worried.

I heard knives and forks scrape across the plates faintly as they ate. Their conversation was muted by the door and wall, which frustrated me. I ached for a release from the pain. A conversation to eavesdrop on would do that, or another vision, but I knew I wouldn't get another one anytime soon.

"What will you do now? You're welcome to stay here." I could make out Jasper saying. I remembered the snippet of conversation from my vision.

"I have to go find my fiancée."

"When do you leave?" Something new.

"Tonight, if possible. If Alice is right, I want to be as far away from that hell hole as possible."

I scoffed. _If _Alice is right.

"Do you know where he would be?" Jasper asked faintly.

"I'll check where he had lived first, and then I don't know. But I _will_ find him."

"I'm sure you will," Jasper said soothingly.

It was quiet, and I thought the conversation had died out until Hailey said, "What are you and Alice going to do?"

"I'm not sure. My mother will never let us stay with her, so I guess I'll have to find work and buy us a house…"

I wondered if his mother would like me. Probably not, especially if she knew I used to be a mental patient. I sighed and looked down to see how I was dressed. It was still the hideous pink child's dress. I needed new clothes. Would it be inappropriate to ask Jasper for new clothes? He was already doing so much for me…

"You're going to have to get her new clothes." Hailey said, somehow in tune with my thoughts. I listened carefully for Jasper's response.

"I should, but I don't know what she would want."

"Let her pick out her new clothes, once she can function again."

"But that could take awhile, and I don't think she would appreciate being stuck in that dress for that long."

"If you want, I can pick something out for her."

They kept talking about me, clothes and where they thought Brett might be, but I drifted off to sleep, which was better then burning. I thought it was going to be impossible to sleep with the crushing ache getting worse every minute, but the heavy blanket of sleep smothered my pain and sent me to my dreams…

.

My eyes snapped open, and I gasped in surprise. It had been so dark. All my dreams – nightmares, actually – where of the dark. The suffocating blackness of my cell had haunted me all night.

Out of instinct, I tried to sit up and much to my surprise, my muscles somewhat complied, which produced a tiny sit up. I flopped back down on the pillows; it was exhausting to use the muscles I hadn't been able to control for seven months.

I rolled my head over to look at the window, which was letting bright sunlight pour into the room. I couldn't remember what time I fell to sleep at. Was Hailey still here, or had she started her quest already? Where was Jasper?

The ache was back with a vengeance. It was like it was trying to make up for the lost time it had while I slept. The force of it caused me to curl up on my side and clutch my chest – I could do that now! – and try not to scream. My nerves felt like livewires and I felt wet everywhere. It was too much.

I whimpered before I could stop myself, and I jumped in surprise when Jasper's head appeared by the bed.

"Are you alright?" He asked, and I had to take a few calming breathes before I could talk.

"Did you sleep on the floor last night?" I asked, and he looked down sheepishly.

"You had the bed, and I insisted that Hailey took the couch, and I didn't want to leave you alone in case you needed anything…" He trailed off and I smiled.

"Thank you very much, Jasper." I said warmly, and he gave me a heartbreaking smile. If only he would just tell me he loves me. It would make being around him _so_ much easier.

He eyed the position of my body and smiled. "You can move!" He exclaimed. I nodded, grimacing.

"Yes, I can."

"Are you alright?" He reached up to feel my forehead. His hand felt like ice against my brow. "You're burning up!"

"Something's wrong, Jasper. I think they did something to me." I would give up mobility if this pain would go away. Now, more then ever, I wanted to go back.

Give me a reason to stay, Jasper.

"Alice, it's just withdrawal. Hailey told me how much more medication you got. It'll take awhile to get used to not having it."

"I can't. I've been on it for seven months. I _need_ it." I begged.

"Seven months? I thought you were on it for two years."

I sighed, "It wasn't the only treatment they tried. Up until seven months ago I was on another plan."

He swallowed hard, "What was it?"

It was hard to dreg it up again, but like the memory of my first injection, it hadn't faded into the background.

"I was in the same cell, but it was bright. Too bright. I could never sleep; I had to wait for injection until I passed out. I wasn't alone, either. There was an assistant or something in there with me most of the time. If it wasn't him there was someone else.

"Their job was to watch me, but never talk. If my eyes ever unfocused, they would shock me with this thing they had. I can still remember the jolt that went up my body and right to my heart.

"The only time one of them wasn't with me was when Doctor Zelner came in to see me. He would talk to me, and whenever I answered his questions with an answer he didn't want, he would shock me, but the voltage in his stick thing was so much stronger then the ones the assistants had."

"I thought you weren't always terminal. Didn't you have another doctor?"

I nodded, thinking of the kind Doctor Jenks. "I had him for five months. Then Doctor Zelner took me to the terminal wing and I started my new electroshock therapy."

I had shocked Jasper into silence, and he sat still, trying to take it all in. My breath was shaky as I waited.

"Alice…I-"

He was cut off when Hailey poked her head into the room.

"Hi, Alice, Jasper." She said, coming into the room. She was wearing one of Jasper's button down shirts and a sudden flare of anger burst in me. I was still wearing this stupid pink dress and Hailey was in Jasper's _clothes_!

Jasper greeted Hailey, and she smiled, sending the green-eyed monster inside me raging. Momentarily the pain was stilled as it was replaced by another, more painful emotion.

Jasper reached over and took my hand in his which calmed me slightly, but not much. Remember, Jasper slept in the same room as you, he loves _you_. But my heart didn't want to listen to my mind this time.

"How are you feeling, Alice?" Hailey asked politely, and I narrowed my eyes at her. My head spinned. I wanted the drugs.

"Fine, thank you." Jasper tightened his grip on my hand. Was he trying to reassure me?

"I'm going to go out for a bit. Shopping. Would you like to come with, Alice?"

Ooh, that could be fun. I never like shopping before my incarceration, but now I wanted to be in control of that part of my life. Once I had the ability to pick what I wanted to wear from me, I realized how much I wanted it. It's one of those 'you never know how much you have until it's gone' kind of things.

But then again, I couldn't. The crippling pain might hinder the shopping spirit.

"I would love to, especially since this dress is itchy, but I can't." A jab of pain hit my chest. I wanted the drugs more.

"You're uncomfortable?" Jasper asked, looking at me in concern.

I shifted, "Just a little." He frowned.

"I'll give you money to get new clothes, but you need to buy some for Alice as well." He said, looking at Hailey, who nodded.

"Of course!"

I smiled, and the pain stabbed at my eyes, forcing them to close. I groaned lightly and dropped my head back on the pillow – _Jasper's_ pillow.

Somehow the withdrawal had a safety switch. It drove me to the point of madness with the pain, and then provided an escape. Sleep.

The last thing I heard was Jasper wishing me a good sleep.

Tell me you love me, Jasper. Please.

.

"Alice? You need to wake up. It's time to go." A beautiful honey voice said. I sighed and snuggled deeper into a pillow that smelled _fantastic_. There was a dull ache all over my body, and my head pounded.

"Alice? Please wake up." The voice said again. It was a gorgeous soothing male voice. I let my eyes drift open and the first thing I saw was my Jasper. What a wonderful way to wake up.

"Hello," I said, smiling idiotically. He touched my brow lightly.

"You look better." He said while examining my face.

"I feel better."

I struggled to sit up and Jasper helped by placing one of his warm, strong hands on my back and pushing me up.

"You said something about getting moving?" I inquired as I inspected the room. I could see a pile of bags and boxes in the corner, but otherwise the room was unchanged.

"We need to leave before Doctor Zelner gets back and starts the hunt. Hailey's already left to find Brett. It's time for us to leave as well."

"She's already gone?" I missed her already.

"She couldn't wait for you to wake up. She told me to tell you goodbye and that she wishes you the best of luck in getting what you want." He said, shaking his head as though he didn't understand. I smiled – Hailey had wished me luck about Jasper.

"Where will we go?"

"Maybe northwest, to Washington, maybe even Canada." He replied, helping me out of the bed. My muscles were still weak from disuse and my nerves continued to complain from missing the drugs. But I would fight it. I needed Jasper and somehow I knew he needed me.

"Where are your parents?" I asked, and he glanced over at me as he helped me hobble towards the bathroom to get changed into the clothes Hailey bought.

"In Texas, why?"

"Would Doctor Zelner hurt them to find you?" He stopped in his tracks, pulling me to a shaky stop. I had worried him.

"I don't know. Would he?"

I shook my head helplessly, "I don't know yet."

"Can you do something to…induce the visions?" He asked, looking desperate. I felt for him.

"The drugs Zelner used to give me brought them on." I said, wanting to be helpful. Maybe he would take me back in an effort to save his family. It would be a win-win situation on so many levels. He would save his parents; I would see my family _and _get the drugs. How perfect!

He shook his head, "I can't take you back."

"I don't want your family to get hurt." I insisted.

"We'll stop by their house to warn them."

"But then we'll lose time, and Zelner could catch us."

He turned on me then and exploded, "What do you want me to do then, Alice?"

"Take me back. It's the only way!"

"I thought they abused you there!"

"But I would get to see my parents!" His eyes widened as another part of my vision slipped from my lips. Damn, that wasn't supposed to slip out.

"Your parents?"

I sighed and nodded. "They're visiting me sometime around when Zelner gets back."

"And you want to see them?" He asked, looking shocked.

"They're my family." I whispered and tears threatened to spill. Surprising me and probably even himself, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled my body to his. I reveled at his closeness and snuggled my head into his chest.

"I can't take you back there to those monsters." Did he include my parents in that category? They probably belonged to it, but they were _my _monsters.

"I just miss them. They weren't always hideous people that locked me up."

"…If you want to leave, I'll take you, I won't keep you here against your will… but I don't want to lose you." I could feel his breathing hitch in his chest and I squeezed him tighter.

I had a choice to make: my family and the past, or Jasper and the future. Could I ever go back to Mary who lived in the suburbs and had a loving family? Or was I forever Alice, who had escaped her prison and could possibly live happily ever after with her Prince?

Jasper leaned back to look into my eyes – brown to blue. "What do you pick?"

I smiled and pulled him into another hug, pressing my face into his shirt. "I don't think the Prince is supposed to return the Princess when he rescues her." I said, his chest muffling my voice. I could feel his laugh rumble through his chest.

"I wouldn't say Prince, per se. Pauper, maybe."

I made a scoffing noise and he laughed again. I thought my chest would burst with the amount of love I held for him. He made me ready to leave everything behind for him. He made me want to move forward and leave behind the past I had been cemented in for the past two years.

"Alice?" I pulled my head back, his wonderful smell clouding my thoughts. I smiled at his beautiful face.

"Yes, Mr. Pauper?"

His gaze was intense, full of something I couldn't place. It made my heart skip three beats and then break out into a run.

"There's something I want to tell you."

I swallowed hard. Don't get your hopes up, I thought to myself as I stared into his dark eyes.

"Yes, Jasper?" I said, and against my wishes, my response was breathy and filled with an anticipated hope.

Tell me you love me, Jasper.

"I – I think I love you, Alice."

_Finally!_

* * *

**A/N: **I just couldn't leave you with that cliffie! I hope you liked the ending!

Now, concerning the sequel some people have asked for. While I was writing the chapter layout for the next – and last – chapter, I came up with an obstacle for our couple that seemed to random to throw into the last chapter, which made me think of the plotline for a possible sequel.

But my question is, would you read it? It would be the same set up as this one, with four chapters, two for Jasper and two for Alice.

Please review with your answer! I won't write it if you won't read it.

I don't know - since this is replacing a chapter some of you have reviewed before – if you can review this chapter, and if you can't, can you please send me a message telling me what you think, or your opinion on the possible sequel? I would _really_ appreciate it!

Thank you, and Happy Holidays!

-Maggie


	4. Chapter 4: Happily Ever After?

**A/N: **I am so sorry! I know I said that I would update in like, two weeks and then disappeared for a month, but I swear, it's not all my fault! My computer - my _baby_ - broke. The motherboard failed or something, but I'm still without my hard drive, so this chapter is all from scratch.

Just a few things before I let you get to the _massive _chapter I have for you (seriously, its twenty four pages on Microsoft word). I added quotes before chapters one and three, because I like to make things so much harder for myself. But I was pretty happy when I got to quite The Maine! So, Daisy by The Maine is before Jasper's first chapter, and Drive My Soul by Lights is in front of Alice's first chapter. And they fit! So perfectly. It's like they were made for this story.

Just a couple more thing, promise! The sequel is on, and I'm very excited to start! It will have the same format as this one, with two Jasper chapters and two Alice chapters.

Big thank you's to my reviewer's last chapter: reader13lovesbooks, Shadow . Raven . X, hawaiian princess, TearOfMist, Haru Itonami, Jacquie Whitlock, ultimatecozzie, Moonglitter2, JK5959, karencita c28, chocoluvr, MotocrossHottie089, HeswamtoFrance, Tianna M . V . A, Cold Desert, TacoKato, elianna, yan, Teliko . x3, Ananya, alice . couronne . 185, musiclikelove, *reader*, Pyromaniac-Girl, omgahitsbritt08, Brynna, SmileEdwardLuvsYhoo, Little Miss Insanity, arabelladevore, Delilah Lovett, Good Vibes

Thank you all so much for your support, and I really hope you enjoy this chapter! I worked so hard on it, and I know it's long, but it ties up all of the loose ends! You get to see what happens with Zelner, how Hailey fares with Brett. How will Alice's meeting with the Whitlock's go? Will Alice get her happily ever after? All will be revealed!

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Twilight, or anything of Stephenie Meyer's. I just take her characters out for walks occasional.

* * *

**Book Two**

**Alice**

**Chapter Two: Happily Ever After? **

There was a dark room, constricting me with its oppressive brick walls. I couldn't feel my arms or legs, and I most certainly couldn't see them, making me doubt whether I had control of them or not.

Oh God, maybe I was back in the cell. But what had happened? Jasper and I had left his house and were on his way to his parent's. I fell asleep...and then I was here. Then where was Jasper?

I called out, hoping he was somehow close enough to hear my voice and save me. I needed to be rescued, but as I far as I could tell, my saviour wasn't near. I was alone. In the dark. Trapped.

"Alice?"

My eyes snapped open and the first thing I focused on was the landscape that was moving at an alarming pace. I rotated my head and with an easing glance I spotted my Jasper, behind the wheel of the car, dividing his attention between the road and me.

"Hi," I said quietly, resting my hand in his to reassure me of his presence. It had been just a dream, I thought with relief. Or was it more than a dream? What if it was a vision...

"Are you alright?" He asked with concern.

"Just a bad dream," I assured him, watching as the 'Welcome to Texas' sign flew by. I shuddered with anticipation; I would be meeting Jasper's parents. I prayed to whatever God was up there that I would make a good impression.

,

I must have dozed off again, because when Jasper shook my shoulder gently and told me to wake; I was greeted by a large, intimidating brown house with a large porch and a tree with a tire swing in the front yard. I swallowed hard and a stone landed in my stomach. This is where Jasper grew up. This was where I would meet his parents.

"Time to go, love." Jasper said softly, and I ran my fingers through my hair, which was still too short by social standards. I would be known as an inmate the moment they saw me.

"You know what, I'll wait here. You go tell them about Zelner." I said, shrinking against the hard seat. The house seemed to glare at me with its covered windows, daring me to step onto its lawn, ready to devour me. It was so much _bigger_ then Jasper's quaint little house, or my families small, suburban, white-picket house. No wonder Jasper could pay for mine and Hailey's new clothes – his parents had money.

Jasper took my hand in his and squeezed lightly, applying just enough pressure to assure me that everything would be alright, but the nerves in my stomach about my hair were running rampant. I couldn't pretend to be the normal girl that Jasper deserved.

"They'll love you." Jasper assured me, as though he were reading my thoughts.

I shook my head, "They'll know what I am."

"My father won't mind."

I turned to look into his warm brown eyes, "And your mother?"

"She'll mind, but I don't care. I love you, no matter what _anybody_ says, I always will."

And before I knew what was happening, he was opening my door and helping me out of the safety of his car.

Damn, but that man knew how to dazzle me senseless.

I walked lightly over the grass, trying not to disturb it with my steps. I looked up, and the house blocked out the hot Texas sun, casting me into shade – into darkness. The tire swing in the tree creaked menacingly and the screen door cracked like a whip – or a well aimed blow from a skilled doctor – as it crashed against the doorframe, blown by the wind.

My nerves – which were already on end – were ready to explode by the time Jasper helped me up the porch steps, opened the screen door and knocked on the solid wood door. I was ready to faint when an older man greeted us with a smile.

"Jasper, my boy, you're home!" He exclaimed happily, and shook Jasper's free hand – his other was wrapped around my waist to ensure that I didn't slink back to the comfort of his car.

Mr. Whitlock looked like Jasper, with honey blonde hair and the same warm, brown eyes. He took in my cropped hair – which was close to my shoulders now -, my pretty, pale yellow dress and Jasper's arm around me and smiled again.

"Welcome, Miss," he greeted me, taking my hand lightly in his.

"This is Alice, Dad. Alice, this is my father, Robert." Jasper said, smoothing out the moment with a proper introduction, acting like I deserved on.

The Whitlock men ushered me into the house kindly. It was spacious, which was very obvious from the sheer size from the outside view of it. The walls were painted in light colours, with the windows and doors positioned perfectly to let the cool breeze circulate through the house. It was shady, without any lights on to keep the temperature down inside the house.

Mr. Whitlock gave me a small tour of the downstairs area, with Jasper never leaving my side, not even when his mother came bursting into the room with a cry of joy.

"You're home! You never told me ahead of time so I could prepare your room!" She scolded with a smile as she enveloped her son in a lopsided hug, since Jasper wasn't letting go of me.

Mrs. Whitlock pulled away, and her eyes immediately settled on me, her eyes raking over my petite, slightly neglected frame, my short hair, my new dress and my protective stance, put it all together and gasped.

"Jasper, what have you done?" She asked, her eyes not leaving my face, almost like one would stare down a snake or a spider to make sure it didn't attack you by surprise.

"Mother, this is Alice; Alice, my mother, Carol." He said, acting as though she hadn't figured out that I didn't belong to a mental institution.

"How do you do?" I asked politely, trying to play along with Jasper. Carol pursed her lips, and opened her mouth to speak several times before she got something out.

"You promised me, Jasper." She accused, "You promised that you wouldn't do anything with the girl that could see the future."

My eyes whipped to Jasper's face, unsettled that he had ever promised that to his mother, and that I hadn't seen it coming, but he shook his head.

"I only told you that so you would let it go, mother. Alice is perfectly sane, I promise you."

She took a few deep breathes with her eyes closed. "I had such high hopes for you, Jasper, I really did. Whatever happened to you and that nice girl from down the street, Maria? You had always shown a fancy to her, and now you come here with a mental patient on your arm." She shook her head sadly.

Maria? The name stabbed at my heart painfully, and even though I had no right to feel jealous, I did. He had shown an interest to other women, I should have realized that, but hearing the name get tossed around so casually hurt.

"Mother," Jasper sighed, "Maria and I were nothing more than friends. " He turned to me, "We used to pretend that we were fighting the civil war. That women were allowed to fight and that we could defend Texas. That was all." He assured me, but something felt hollow about his confession, like there was something missing.

"Well, you will have to stay for dinner, Jasper; you can at least do that for me before you run off with _her_." Mrs. Whitlock said, and my stomach sank a little. I knew I shouldn't have hoped for her approval, but it wounded me that she rejected me so completely.

"Fine, mother, but there is something we must tell you," Jasper started, but his mother hushed him.

"All of that can be discussed _after_ dinner." She said, heading back to the kitchen, "Because right now, I have a dinner party to plan."

Mr. Whitlock excused himself from the room, and Jasper and I were left alone.

"Dinner party?" I asked, swallowing hard. Jasper rubbed my shoulders and pulled me into an embrace.

"Don't worry, Alice. Everything will be fine. What's the worst that could happen?"

_What's the worst that could happen? _Weren't those always infamous last words?

,

If I hadn't been one hundred percent sure that Jasper's mother hated me before the dinner, then it was assured that she did during the dinner. Carol Whitlock had invited exactly two people to the dinner party: The notorious Maria and her mother, Caroline.

Jasper's mother had also arranged the seating so that I sat across from Jasper, and Maria sat beside him, with his mother on his other side. Maria's mother sat next to me and across from Carol, with Jasper's father on my other side and across from Maria. A hideous, nightmarish arrangement, but I could weather it, for Jasper. Anything for him.

So I bit the inside of my cheek when Maria would lean towards him, showing off as much of her cleavage as she could before he diverted his attention somewhere else. It seemed to become a game for her, and it was one she revelled in.

Caroline, the hellish woman's mother, kept me distracted with extremely tactless questions about my upbringing, my parents, my stint at the institution and my escape from the law. Mrs. Whitlock listened intently to my answers, and was just as bad as Caroline for all intents and purposes. Every time Jasper tried to save me, Maria would pull his attention back to her, and every time I tried to upbraid Maria for flirting with Jasper, the mothers would drill me with more inappropriate questions. And the only other person who could save me, Jasper's father, was completely drunk by the time the second course was served. _Fantastic._

"So, Alice, you're parents just _left _you at the Institution?" Caroline asked airily.

"Yes," I replied through my teeth. I dared to let my gaze wander to Jasper, who was looking up at the ceiling in despair as Maria chattered brightly about something while she fidgeted with her dress, pulling the collar down lower as she did so.

"So you have no one that loves you then, if your parents would do that to you?" Caroline inquired.

"No, I'm sure my sister loves me. She tried to help me when they took me away." I replied, keeping my gaze on Jasper.

"But that was what, three, four years ago? She must have forgotten all about you."

"She remembers me," I said stubbornly.

"And how do you know that? Honestly, I'm sure it's lovely to be an only child. And wouldn't your parents value her more, since she's _normal_?" The vile woman pressed on. Mrs. Whitlock smiled smugly, and my throat tightened uncomfortably.

"My sister loves me."

"I'm sure you believe that, dear, but I wouldn't keep my hopes up if I were you. Just think, in a couple more years you could just be a distant memory. Someone to think about when they visit that empty grave from time to time. They probably even took down all of your pictures, and re-did your room to serve another purpose. They have forgotten about you. No one loves you." She said, her hand patting mine to comfort, but her voice steely to inflict pain, and it had worked. Tears began to well up without permission, and my throat tightened, making it hard to breath. I kept my head down, hoping no one would notice that I was crying.

"Are you alright dear?" Jasper's mother asked with mock concern. "Why don't you go lie down? I'm sure Maria will keep Jasper occupied while you're away."

"I'm sure she would," Caroline echoed.

I stood and ghosted away, furious at them for causing such a violent show of my emotions, and at myself for letting them get under my skin.

I didn't make it very far from the dining room before sobs began to erupt from by chest and paralyzed me from moving farther. I slumped against the piano that sat in the far corner of the room I was in and wept for what I had lost and for what I most surely could lose in the future.

I hadn't been there long when the heavy feeling of an oncoming vision blanketed over my body, making me feel sluggish. I rested my head against the white and black piano keys and let the future wash over me and provide a welcome escape from the dreadful dinner party.

-

I watched as the back of my yellow dress disappeared through the door. I saw Caroline and Mrs. Whitlock's smug faces, and Jasper's head swung to watch my retreating figure.

"Where is Alice going?" He asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

"She wanted to take a walk, dear, and didn't want to bother you." Mrs. Whitlock said politely. "I think I have changed my mind about her, Jasper, she is a fine girl." Jasper's smile was incandescent and lighted up the whole room.

"I'm so glad you think so, mother." He said, reaching over to grab her hand gently. I clenched my jaw at the sight. She had lied to him.

"Dear, can you take your father upstairs? It seems that he has had too much to drink." Mrs. Whitlock said, casting the attention to her intoxicated husband who wobbled in his seat.

Jasper stood and took his father's arm, leading his towards the staircase. As soon as he left the room, the three women began to gossip.

"Jasper loves _her_?" Maria asked scornfully and Mrs. Whitlock shook her head sadly. "Poor backwards Jasper."

"But don't worry, dear," Caroline said, "if what we just put her through doesn't discourage her, then we will try something else. And I think I know exactly what we can do."

"Yes," Mrs. Whitlock agreed, "we will find a way to curb Jasper's foolish infatuation with the mental patient."

I wanted to stay around for more, but a pulling feeling had me ghosting up the stairs after Jasper and his father, where I found them in the master bedroom. Jasper had eased his father into bed.

"Good night, father." Jasper said, turning to leave, but Mr. Whitlock grabbed onto Jasper's arm deftly.

"Jasper...you need to watch out for her." He slurred unimpressively, but I watched with rapt attention as he tried to tell Jasper something.

"Watch out for who, father? Alice?" Jasper asked, kneeling beside his father's bedside.

"Don't let them chase her off, she's good for you." The older of the two said, and to punctuate his statement, his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out, ready to sleep off the alcohol. Jasper stayed for a few more seconds before rising and running a hand through his hair. He walked past me to return to the party, and another vision swept me up.

"Thank you, Mr. Whitlock." I said, and then the world went dark again.

-

"What do you mean, _she's gone_?"

"I mean, Mr. Brandon, that my foolish employees allowed one of the workers to free your daughter and another patient in my absence." Doctor Zelner said, trying to assure my father that I was, in fact, free.

"But I thought you were supposed to make her better."

"Mrs. Brandon, we're exhausting our resources searching for her, trust me. Most of the staff, plus the police force, is out looking for her."

"Why aren't you out looking for her? It's your fault she's free. You have to bring her back before she can hurt herself and others." My father insisted.

"Someone needs to look after the patients. I-"

"Well you haven't been doing a very good job so far!" My father spat, cutting Zelner off. My parents sat in the two chairs opposite Zelner in his office, with Cynthia sitting in my mother's lap.

"Where is Mary?" Cynthia asked, "I miss her."

I miss you too.

"She's hiding, Cynthia," my mother said softly, "This man is going to find her and bring her back."

"Like hide-and-go-seek!" Cynthia cried in delight, and my mother nodded.

"Yes, Cynthia, exactly like that."

"And don't worry, Miss. Brandon," Doctor Zelner said, "I _will_ find her."

-

"Brett?" Hailey called to the retreating figure that looked like him.

He turned around and with large eyes, he recognized her. "Hailey, is that you?"

Hailey smiled and fidgeted with her new dress. She had skipped the corsets in the hopes that without it, she wouldn't seem so thin. Brett walked towards her, his eyes appraising. I remembered the times Hailey had talked about missing his beautiful, hazel eyes.

"It's me. I'm better now." She announced softly, and Brett laughed in a carefree way.

"I'm so happy to see you!" He cried, picking her up in a hug and twirling her around in a dizzying circle.

He set her down carefully and smiled radiantly. "I've been so worried. Becky told me you were so _ill_. She said the hospital wing wouldn't let us visit you."

Hailey shook her head, "Becky lied to you, Brett. I _wasn't _wick. She lied to you so that she could have you. The hospital believed her lies and wouldn't let me go."

Brett looked sceptical; Hailey looked heartbroken.

"Believe me," she whispered, and Brett's expression softened.

"There you are, sweetheart!" Another woman exclaimed, marching into the tender scene without care for what she disrupted. Her blonde hair was piled atop her head, unlike Hailey, whose brown hair was short like mine.

The woman who could only be Becky wrapped her arm through Brett's with her left arm, displaying the shiny ring on her fourth finger.

"Hailey, is that you?" Becky asked, peering at Hailey intently. "Why yes, it _is _you! I never heard news of your recovery. How are you coping?"

Hailey was fuming. "You know I was never sick, _Becky_. You lied so you could get me out of the picture!" She snapped, pulling herself up to her full height, which was a couple of inches shorter then Becky.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Hailey. Maybe the institution was wrong, you don't seem healthy." She commented.

Brett frowned, but didn't say anything. He never moved to remove Becky's hand, but he never took his eyes off Hailey.

Becky caught Hailey's gaze lingering on the diamond ring and laughed, twitching her hand so the weak sunlight reflected off the ring, shimmering.

"The date has been set. Would you like to come to the wedding?" Becky asked politely, and from Hailey's face it was clear that that was the last place she wanted to be.

"Brett?" Hailey asked softly, maybe looking for an explanation, or just to be able to address him directly. But the sound of his name leaving her lips caused his eyes – the eyes she was so in love with – dropped down to look at his shoes.

Her eyes welled, but she refused to cry in front of the happy couple, that much I knew. She turned stiffly and left, keeping her back towards the duo, that from afar seemed a perfect match. Becky's expression was triumphant, but Brett, her fiancée, looked inconsolable.

-

I choked as I awoke, which was extremely unpleasant to say the least. I was frightened by the fact that Zelner was being persuaded by my parents to search harder for me, I was upset that Hailey had reached an unhappy ending, and I was furious that Maria and the mothers were so determined to ruin my relationship with Jasper.

I sat with my forehead resting on the keys as I let my three dominant emotions struggle, and only moved when one emerged as the victor, and I must say I was pleased when anger took control of my limbs and forced me to walked jerkily to the dining room, where Maria's nauseating laughter trilled loudly and the clatter of forks meeting plates rang true.

I tried to pause for a moment, to collect my thoughts and check my temper a little, but Maria opened her mouth, and I snapped.

"Oh, Jasper, you must simply take me out for a walk now." Like the bitch she was, I thought smugly.

"I think I'm going to wait for Alice." Jasper said stubbornly, and at that moment, I made my entrance, to find Maria and Mrs. Whitlock sitting closely to Jasper, who looked extremely uncomfortable by the amount of attention he was receiving. I was going to kick some ass, which was what my hormones were telling me to do. To reclaim Jasper as mine, to do what I wanted to Hailey to do to Becky. Maria was my Becky, and I most certainly not going to end up in the same situation as Hailey was in.

"Alice, you're back." Mrs. Whitlock sounded far less then enthused about my return, but Jasper's face lit up like a light bulb, and he stood to take my arm and lead me back to the table, but as he approached me, he saw the redness around my eyes, and the fresh dried tears on my cheeks. He looked concerned, but my anger was bubbling over.

"You," I pointed to his mother, not thinking of possible consequences that could arise from the confrontation, "are a despicable person. Honestly! How dare you bring up my family in such a way? I only told you about myself so you might understand me better, but instead you turned it into a brutal attack!" I turned my angry eyes on Maria, and was joyous when she actually flinched. "And you! You have some nerve to be flirting with him in such a way! You whor-"

But I didn't get to finish, because Jasper had scooped me up and carried me out of the room, his eyes a little angry too, but that was because he didn't understand. I would make him understand. He would know what a terrible night I had had at his mother's hands.

"What was that about?" He asked, half concerned, half angry.

"Your mother is a hideous, vile, despicable, evil, appalling, wicked-"

"Alice!"

"You don't understand, Jasper! You don't know what I had to endure in there, and then what I had to see in there!" I said, waving my hand towards the piano room.

"Just tell me, please. Without insulting my mother, if you can." He said, his arms crossed as he waited. I took a deep breath, and as calmly as I could I told him of the personal attacks I had weathered while I watched Maria practically _flash_ him by dragging her collar down – something he claimed not to have notice, but please, a blind man would have noticed. I told him about my brief escape into the piano room and my visions of Maria and the mothers plotting to take me away from him, and his scene with his father upstairs, of Zelner's plan to find us, and of Hailey's defeat at the hands of Becky. He listened patiently, and when I finished he just stood there.

"_Well_?" I demanded, planting my fists onto my hips and waiting. The he swooped down and kissed me hard on the mouth, which was the best stress reliever I could have possibly imagined. The anger melted away, and instead was replaced with fear. Fear of being caught.

I clung to his shirt when we broke apart, and he stroked my short hair, soothing my nerves. I couldn't go back into the room with Maria and the mothers. I couldn't deal with them anymore. I just wanted to disappear, but with Zelner upping the search for us, there was a greater chance that they might come to Jasper's parents to find him with me.

There was a sound in the background, some kind of annoying buzzing, like a mosquito but more repulsive. I didn't give it a second thought, but Jasper stiffened and ran back into the dining room, dragging me behind him.

Maria and Mrs. Whitlock sat where they had always been, but Caroline, who I now realized hadn't been there when I had snapped, stood by the back door, panting with a sinister smile. But I could have been imagining the last part. She always looked sinister to me.

"You didn't go out for a walk, did you?" Jasper asked slowly, and Caroline shook her head, her smile widening.

"I went and told the police about the escapee," she panted, nodding her head at me. My stomach dropped down to my feet and I began to feel faint. Oh God, this was what they had been talking about. This was their other plan to take me away and leave Jasper for Maria.

"You fool; I'll be taken away with her, which would wreck your plan, yes?" Jasper hissed, his eyes darting around to escapes, and the annoying buzz became a whining squeal...like a police car's siren.

Caroline blanched, and Maria shot her mother a glare that could kill someone in their spot. Good, I was glad their plan was ruined, but there was still the issue of running away that was a large concern.

"We need to get to the car," Jasper said, and he took my hand and pulled me to the front door.

"What about telling your parents about Zelner?" I asked, which was the whole point of us going there in the first place.

"Oh, right." He said, and turned back to face the three woman that stood in the doorway. "My former employer might show up here to ask you of our whereabouts. Feel free to tell them whatever you like. Or don't say anything, it doesn't really matter." He paused, "I can't believe that my own mother would be so hell bent on wrecking my life."

"I wasn't trying to wreck your _life_, so let's stop being so over-dramatic, alright, Jasper?" His mother said exasperatedly. "I just didn't want you to get mixed up with the wrong type of people."

"I love Alice, mother, and no matter what you do, I always will." He said defiantly. And with that, we marched out of the door and I hoped that I would never have to go back.

.

After our dramatic exit from Jasper's parent's house, I hadn't been sure where we would go next, but Jasper, ever the clever one, knew exactly where we should go. We hopped into his car and took the back exit out of his parent's property – narrowly missing the authorities, and started driving north, towards Chicago, where Jasper said he had a cousin that could assist us in our journey west.

It had been a little over twenty four hours, and Jasper pulled the car into a narrow driveway in front of his cousin Thomas' house. Apparently Thomas was his father's brother's son, and had moved out of Texas when he fell in love with a girl name Adeline. After three years in Chicago, Adeline had died of heart failure, and Thomas couldn't bring himself to sell the house his beloved had lived in, so he had stayed in the family sized home alone, since they hadn't had a child yet. Jasper said that he and his cousin had been on good terms before the move, during which Thomas severed all family ties, so hopefully he would be receptive of us.

It had begun to rain the moment we entered the city of Chicago, and Jasper felt the need to assist me as we climbed the front steps to the door. There was no awning, so we stood in the pouring rain, becoming drenched as we waited someone to respond to our knocking, although it would be a small miracle if anyone could hear us over the piano that was being played rather roughly.

But finally, after Jasper began to curse at Thomas for letting us get soaked, the piano stopped and footsteps were audible through the door. The offending wood swung open and a lanky youth my age stood blocking our entrance. He was sullen, and I could tell that he was the one who had been playing, because that violent and emotional music could only be played by someone as surly and emotional as him.

"Yes?" He asked, sounding short. I looked up at him, with his pretty green eyes and brown hair with subtle red undertones, and decided that I rather liked Jasper's cousin, although they looked nothing alike.

"Is Thomas Whitlock in?" Jasper asked, sounding confused. The boy frowned and looked behind him, where a friendly looking woman appeared.

"You're looking for Thomas Whitlock?" She asked, and when Jasper nodded, she ushered us inside and directed her son to fetch some tea. My yellow dress, which I hadn't been able to change out of, felt grimy from all of the travel and I unsure of how to sit on the pretty maroon couch and not dirty it. Jasper had no worries though, for he flopped down like it was his own couch, never mind the dirt that clung to his pants as surely as it clung to my dress.

"So, where is my cousin?" Jasper asked, looking around as though expecting Thomas to come jumping around the corner and yell 'boo'. But the expression the hostess was wearing made me think there was a sad story behind Thomas' missing presence.

"How do you know Thomas, may I ask?" The hostess asked politely, her hands folded in her lap like a proper lady.

"I'm his cousin, Jasper Whitlock, and this is Alice, my travel companion." I sighed internally at my title. I was his _travel companion_.

"My name is Elizabeth Masen, and that's my son, Edward." Mrs. Masen said, nodding towards the piano playing youth that emerged from the kitchen with a tea pot and four cups. There was something off about Edward, something familiar but different. It was the same feeling I had when I really scrutinized my face, or when I searched Jasper's for his secrets. It was like he was somehow like us, yet a little bit different, a little unique. How interesting.

"About your cousin, Mr. Whitlock," Mrs. Masen began, "Thomas Whitlock died of the influenza last year, around the same time my husband died. We bought this house just a few months ago. We downsized because we don't have Mr. Masen's income to support us anymore..."

Jasper blinked, looking dazed. Edward was grimacing, glaring down at his tea as though it was offending him in some way. I couldn't believe that Thomas was gone. He had seemed like such a good link for us to have. Maybe he could have hidden us away and helped us collect supplies for our journey west. Maybe he would have become something of a brother to me, and we could have been a small family, without worries.

I rubbed Jasper's back soothingly and he leaned into me for support, which I was glad to give to him. I looked over at Mrs. Masen, whose head was down in grief. I couldn't imagine losing your other half. A life without Jasper was something I couldn't comprehend.

What I could understand was the pain of losing a father, which was what Edward was trying to cope with and failing. I had lost my father in a sense. I would never see the dad that pushed me on the swing set, or told me that no man would ever be good enough for me. That man was dead to me. I only had the father that wanted me locked up because I was a little different than everyone else.

I ended my observations and bowed my head like the others were doing. It was a time to reflect on what had been lost, and I had plenty to mourn over.

.

It was day four with the Masen's. They were such lovely people that I didn't want to leave, but I knew Jasper was getting stir-crazy. He didn't want to stay in the place his cousin had died in for too long, and I understood that. We would be leaving soon, and since Jasper and Mrs. Masen had both headed upstairs for bed, leaving me alone with Edward, I decided to cheer him up a bit. I had a feeling that Edward would have a lovely smile if he used those muscles in his face, so I made it my mission that night to make him smile, and maybe lighten the grief he felt over his father. It was a mighty task, but if I handled it properly, I thought I could achieve it all in one night – tonight.

I found him sitting outside, admiring the stars you could see. I plopped down beside him ever so gracefully on the bench and sighed, preparing him for the conversation. He turned his pretty eyes on me with an amused look. Over the past four days Edward and I had formed a sort of bond. A sibling bond that made me feel safe when Jasper disappeared from my side. I had a brother now.

"I just thought we should chat." I started, and Edward snorted.

"What's it about now, Alice?" Lately I had been insisting we have a lot of chats, with our topics ranging from piano, to the war, to gardening.

"I want to talk about your father, if you don't mind." His face had closed over, creating a stony mask so unlike what I wanted to see from him.

"I do mind, thanks." He said icily, but I brushed it off and prepared to move forward. I had faced worse at the Whitlock's house.

"I know what it's like to lose a father, Edward. Heck, I know what it feels like to lose your whole family." His mask broke with surprise.

"Your whole family died?" I debated on whether I should tell him the truth or not. I knew he wouldn't turn Jasper and I in, but I just didn't feel ready yet.

"In a sense, yes." His mouth opened, and I knew he knew that I wasn't telling him the whole story. "I will tell you everything in time, Edward, I promise, but I don't want to get into details right now. Okay?" He grimaced, and I knew it was because he hated not knowing the whole picture, but he nodded, acquiescing to my request.

"Can you at least tell me a little about what happened? Just give me something really vague." He pleaded, with his green eyes taking on a puppy dog quality and I felt myself caving.

"They gave me up – exiled me from their house never to see them again. They thought I was a little too different from what they wanted me to be, so they removed me from the picture."

"I'm a little bit different too," Edward said quietly, patting my hand absently.

"But I know how much it hurts to lose the people you love so suddenly like that. But I would think it would be better to know that your father loved you before he died, don't you?" He nodded reluctantly, accepting the idea I had implanted. Maybe he would compare his incident to mine and see that things could be worse. And that even though things can get really bad, things can always get better.

"Do you miss them?" Edward asked softly, looking up at the cast sky above us. This made me think. I did miss them. I had been ready to leave Jasper to find them, but then they wanted me gone. They didn't love me like they should love their child. And if they couldn't reciprocate my love, then I shouldn't miss them.

"A little; but mostly my sister. I have Jasper now, though, and he really helps. It helps to know that there's a person out there that loves you." I said. Edward's face had softened up. The mask was gone, and a pensive expression weighed him down. "Do you have anyone like that?"

"I have my mother." I rolled my eyes at his response. He was a typical mother's boy, just like Jasper.

"I meant besides your mother. Do you have anyone like I have Jasper?"

And just like that, a smile broke loose and planted itself on his face. I had been right, I thought smugly. He had a lovely smile.

"There's this one girl that I see at the market," he said vaguely, but his smile grew in size, much to my pleasure.

"Does this girl have a name?" I probed.

"Isabella Swan. But she doesn't like her full name, silly girl. She prefers Bella." The way he spoke of her was similar to how I spoke of Jasper. He loved her, and I couldn't be happier for him.

"Does she know how you feel?"

"Probably not, we don't talk much."

"You will talk to her Edward, or so help me, I will smack you." I threatened.

"Thank you, Alice." I wasn't sure what he was thanking me for, but I hugged him and told him it was no problem. It was what big sisters did, after all.

"I'm going to miss you," I sighed, knowing Jasper and I couldn't stay for much longer.

"Where are you going to go?" He asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but when we get there, I'll write you. And I will be expecting a visit from you and this Bella when we get settled."

"I'll be there."

"You better be."

.

"You're being awfully quiet over there, Alice." Jasper teased from the driver's seat of his car. I was quiet because I was sad. I was sad because we had left the Masen's house two days ago and I missed them. I had gotten to meet Bella before we left, though, which I was glad for. Edward and I had gone to the market, and there she was, with long, rich brown hair, and her bright chocolate eyes. I could see why Edward loved her so.

"I miss them." I sighed, watching the landscape fall away as we travelled. Jasper became quiet and I looked over to find him with a rather upset expression on his face.

"I'm sorry we had to leave." Oh, he thought I was upset that he made us leave!

"I'm not upset at you, Jasper. I know why we had to leave, and that's not an issue. I'm just wondering how long it will be before we see them again."

"Maybe you'll have a vision of them." Jasper suggested, which sounded lovely. I would love to see how Edward would overcome his shyness around Bella. Of how he would cope with his father's death and let someone else in. That would be a something worth seeing.

"I love you, Jasper." I said, resting my head on my seat and looking at him, soaking up his brilliance.

"I love you too, so much." He replied, taking my hand in his and pressing his lips against my fingers.

We would be alright as long as we stayed together, and I didn't need a vision to know that.

.

I shifted in my seat, which had rapidly become more and more uncomfortable as the hours wore on. It was day five of our journey, and I was absolutely _sick_ of this god-forsaken car.

"Can we stop soon? I need to stretch my legs." Jasper smiled, but continued to urge the car on at a fast pace.

"We can't stop yet, Alice. I'm sorry, but I just can't risk your safety." I rolled my eyes at his insistent tone. I knew he was just looking out for my safety, but come on!

Apparently the universe thought I deserved a break too, because not a minute later, the engine was beginning to spew smoke. Jasper groaned and began to talk to the car, urging it on, begging it not to give out on him, very typical things in my mind. On the other hand, I did it too, urging it to halt, begging it not to get better.

"There might be someone who can fix it in town." I suggested, taking on a helpful position as I silently prayed that the car wouldn't magically get better. But automotives and magic don't mix, and the car stopped, wheezing for the last time before it died.

"What happened?" Jasper groaned, but I had no answer for him. The failure was spontaneous, and therefore, something I couldn't have predicted. Poor Jasper, he had loved the car like it was his pet.

"Jasper, we need to get out of the car. Maybe we can find someone to fix it." I said, but he ignored me, refusing to leave the car.

"Maybe I can fix her." _Her_, what a ridiculous concept, giving a _thing_ a female pronoun.

I sighed and hopped out of the car, walking around to the trunk and pulling our bags out, and then opening Jasper's door.

"Come on, time to leave her." He pouted, but got out, and helped me with the baggage. But before he headed off, he insisted that he say goodbye, in case they never saw each other again. I agreed, but refused to listen to the adieu, choosing instead to get a head start. I could see the hotel on the horizon, and I certainly wasn't going to wait for Jasper's foolishness.

He caught up with me after a minute, and we walked in silence. I was dead set on getting to that hotel, and no broken down car, tearful goodbye, or splitting headache was going to stop me.

,

"Welcome to the Wild Rose Hotel, how may I help you this evening?" The smiley manager, Mr. Lewis, asked.

"We need a room, and a good mechanic." I requested, dropping the luggage I had carried onto the floor, where a bellboy picked them up. Fantastic service.

Mr. Lewis stole a quick glance at my left hand, spotted the emptiness of my fourth finger, and said, "Two beds then?" Society would probably frown if we had only one bed in the room, which was upsetting. I so wanted Jasper's body to be as close to mine as it usually was when we sat in the car. What a shame.

"No, one bed is fine." Jasper said, making my heart pick up its tempo, "I'll sleep on the couch." Damn.

"Alright, sir. Here is your room key; your suite number is 245 on the second floor. Enjoy your stay, and we'll send a mechanic to pick up your car." He said, handing Jasper a big brass key and pocketing the tip and the directions to the stranded car I wrote up. Following the bellboy, we headed up to our suite. Where there would only be one bed. Maybe I could get Jasper to share it with me.

,

"We probably should have gotten a smaller room." Jasper commented as soon as the bellboy left. The room was _huge_, but what I noticed first was the comfy looking, queen sized bed that dominated the bedroom part of the suite. Beside the bedside table was a small loveseat, which I supposed would be Jasper's chosen sleeping area. But not if I could help it.

I looked out the window to see a newly darkened sky, as though the sun had extinguished its lights so it could sleep along with the rest of us.

"I suppose we should sleep now, since we'll have a long day of travelling ahead of us." I said, letting myself flop down onto the bed. Jasper looked at me in such a way that made my stomach flip, but then he shook his head and looked away.

"I suppose so."

There was a bit of an awkward pause, in which neither of us could find anything to say, but I remedied that by standing up and going to him. I was going to do what I had been craving to do all day.

Bringing myself up to my full height, and planting my hands on his shoulders to drag him down a bit, I found my lips touching his in a delightful way. It was long and soft and I just couldn't get enough of the man in front of me. So when our natural impulses began to take over, I didn't complain. Especially when the back of my knees hit the bed and I went down, Jasper following me the whole way.

I let my fingers weave through his blonde hair, and gasped when I felt his cold fingers begin to loosen my dress. I decided that if I was losing my dress, he would lose his shirt, which was exactly what happened. I laid in my shift and corset, and Jasper hovered above me, shirtless. How absolutely heavenly.

"We should stop," Jasper mumbled between kisses, each one getting stronger and more passionate. I nodded slightly, letting my fingers slide up and down his back, feeling the ridge of his spine several times over.

"We probably should," I agreed as he began to loosen my corset, which was severely restricting my heavy breathing.

He was just finishing with the ties when a knock came at the door, causing Jasper to groan and place on final kiss on my neck before he stood, donning his shirt and answered the door, which was out of my sight.

"There's a man downstairs for a Miss. Mary Brandon." The man said, and my stomach lurched in a panic. I stood and hurriedly fixed my corset and pulled my dress back on, running to the door to find Mr. Lewis standing at the door, with an angry Jasper blocking his entry.

"Miss. Mary Brandon?" I asked with a quiver in my voice. We had only been in the hotel for a couple hours, how could anyone have found us?

"Yes, and I assured him that there were no guests here by that name, but he said that the guest Mr. Jasper Whitlock was travelling with Miss. Brandon, and insisted that I tell you that he's waiting in the lobby." Mr. Lewis said, almost apologetically.

"And does this man have a name?" Jasper asked, his height causing him to loom over Mr. Lewis.

"Yes, he said his name was Doctor Mortimer Zelner."

,

"What are we going to do?" I cried, pacing the room once Mr. Lewis left, leaving us to mull over the horrible information.

"We need to leave." Jasper said, gathering our freshly unpacked things and shoving them into bags hastily.

"But the lobby is the only exit!" I exclaimed, throwing myself down onto the bed. We wouldn't be able to escape this one. We would be carted back to Biloxi. I would be thrown back into my dark room, and Jasper would be sent to jail. We wouldn't get a happily ever after.

"There's always an exit through the kitchen." Jasper said, pulling me up and carting me towards the door. He gathered our hastily re-packed bags and gently gave me two out of the five.

"All we have to do is get to the kitchen?" I asked weakly, following Jasper out of the hotel room and into the elevator.

"Yes, and then we'll be fine, Alice, don't worry."

Oh, but I did worry. How could I not?

We stepped off the elevator, and I felt extremely vulnerable with my arms full. Jasper somehow knew which way to go, because instead of ending up in the lobby with Zelner, we were in the kitchen, while bustled with late night activity.

"This way," we weaved through the moving people, and the warm air and the warmer people began to make me fell claustrophobic.

"There it is." Jasper announced and I spotted the door out, with a sign above it that marked it an exit. It was propped open, and I imagined that I could feel a cool breeze on my face.

Jasper slipped out the door, and I was about to follow when a rough hand grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back, causing me to drop the luggage I was carrying.

"The Doctor wouldn't want you to leave without saying goodbye." The deep voice of one of the strong-arms said, pulling me backwards into the crowd. I would not cry out to Jasper. I would not let him come back and save me. I would let him retain his freedom, while I lost mine.

I was led past the elevator and into the lobby, where Doctor Zelner waited patiently for me.

"There you are, Mary." He said, smiling pleasantly. "You had us all so worried. Is Hailey or Jasper with you?"

"No, I'm alone." I said, keeping my chin up and my voice haughty. I wouldn't tell him anything. He would never find Hailey or Jasper if I could help it.

"I know you checked in with my former employee, Miss Brandon, so please, try again."

"I don't know where Jasper or Hailey is." I repeated, and Zelner sighed.

"Fine; don't tell me now. I'm sure you'll talk once you're back in isolation like your parents had ordered." Zelner stood and walked out the front door, and the man holding me forced us to follow. I wouldn't struggle, especially since the longer we stayed at the hotel, the more likely it was that Jasper would show up and try to help me.

Just let me go, Jasper.

Outside, Doctor Zelner disappeared into a back of a black automobile, and quickly I was forced to follow. Once inside, Zelner pulled out a large needle filled with the clear liquid I had once been dependant on. No, I had worked so hard to be okay without it.

I struggled and protested, but he stuck me eventually, and the paralyzing effects gripped me at once, leaving me limp and defenceless.

Goodbye freedom.

The car began to move, away from the town, away from Jasper. A tear slid down my face and Zelner pretended not to notice, or maybe he didn't see. He stared intently out the window, a triumphant smile on his face. He had won, and we both knew that. He wasn't a failure anymore. He could go back to my father and flaunt me like a hunting trophy. He would keep his job.

Lucky him. Everything seemed to work out for the villain in this novel. Whatever happened to happy endings? It seemed I had had mine prematurely. The prince had rescued me on a white horse, only to ride off without seeing me getting trapped by the wicked warlock.

I was pretending that I was a beautiful princess in a gorgeous dress hiding away in a tall tower, with Jasper dressed in shining armour and on a white horse standing under my window, declaring his love for me when the screaming started.

I blinked, confused but uninterested. It wasn't like I could leap out of the car once it stopped. I closed my eyes as Zelner got out, shouting at someone to move. Maybe if I thought hard enough, I could make Jasper materialize in front of me. Magic and automobiles don't mix, but maybe magic and people did?

"Alice." Ah, I knew it would work! I had the voice, but I struggled to pull up a picture of his face. Long, silky blonde hair that would obscure his warm brown eyes far too often for my liking. His nose was straight, making a perfect line down to his plush mouth that fit mine perfectly. His forehead, which was usually wrinkled from stress, was smoothed. His whole demeanour was calm.

"Alice, come on, we don't have that much time."

Hmm, why would I make him say that?

"Alice, come on!" I let my eyes drift open and there was Jasper, standing in the open door, smiling widely.

"Jasper?" He nodded and held out his hand for me to take. I itched to take it and _never_ let go again, but thanks to Doctor Zelner, I couldn't. "I can't."

"I've come to spring you. But we have to hurry. Take my hand, Alice!"

"But I _can't_, Jasper."

"Don't worry, I can protect you from him, but we need to leave now." My breath was laboured, and the drugs made it hard to talk since it was so soon after injection, but he wasn't _listening_.

"I _can't_, Jasper. I was injected." It was like a light bulb turned on above his head, and he came further into the car and picked me up, lifting me out of Zelner's car and into the night. The waking sun was beginning to stain the sky with reds, pinks and oranges, giving a forewarning of its approach.

I tried to crane my neck to see what had drawn Zelner to get out of the car, but I couldn't, which was an odd sensation to get used to again. I had gotten too accustomed to being able to move all of my muscles. It was unnerving to lose control like that again.

"Don't worry, Alice. I know where we can go." And we were off, to somewhere I didn't know, without control of my body, and in the arms of the man I loved. He may not be dressed in shining armour, and the car he put me in might not have been a white horse, and my dress most certainly wasn't princess worthy, but I felt like I had finally lived my happily ever after.

.

Two days later, and we had crossed the border into Canada, which had, apparently, been Jasper's master plan all along, although a small town in the middle of Alberta certainly wasn't what I had wanted. I had wanted somewhere on the west coast, like Vancouver. But no, we were stuck in a small house in the middle of nowhere in the middle of winter, which got _cold_.

But I couldn't complain about much else besides the weather, and the lack of shopping and the complete isolation of the house location. How could I when that meant that Jasper and I were living together, with little distractions, stuck in the house while the weather got colder as winter pressed on. No, I had no reason to complain really.

We were sitting on a couch that came with the house, meaning it was cheap and the fabric was a tad itchy, but the close proximity of Jasper made it all better. He was reading a leather bound book while I drew. A fire crackled in the well worn and dirty fireplace. Some of the surfaces were still dusty, but they were places I couldn't reach and kept forgetting to ask Jasper to get.

I was lazily doodling a side profile of Jasper when a vision weighed down on me. I sighed, putting down the sketch pad and laid back, resting my head on the arm of the couch. Jasper held my hand, and I was the most comfortable that I had ever been while slipping into the future.

-

"What's this I hear of you letting two patients escape?" A man asked Zelner, back in his office in Biloxi. The way the Doctor held himself around the man made me think that the older man was Zelner's boss, and by his expression, he wasn't happy.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Thomas, but there was really nothing I could do. I was away on business when they escape happened, and I tried to recover them, but I couldn't." The man named Mr. Thomas slammed his fist down on Zelner's desk, making the Doctor jump.

"I don't want excuses, Mortimer. I entrusted you with this hospital wing, and you let me down. I should never have promoted you." He said with a disappointed frown. Zelner blanched and began to fidget with a ring on his fourth finger on his left hand, something I had never noticed before. There was a Mrs. Doctor Mortimer Zelner. What an odd thought. Maybe he really wasn't as bad as I thought he was. Maybe he was just a normal person, with a family, who was just doing what he was told.

"You can't fire me, sir. Please." Zelner looked so...pathetic. It was so surreal to watch.

"I won't fire you, Mortimer. But I will demote you. Better luck next time."

I prayed to god that there wouldn't be a next time.

-

Hailey stood in her hotel room, tears falling down her cheeks. She had lost, and from the look on her face, I could tell that she hated herself for it. I knew Hailey wouldn't ask Brett to leave his fiancée for her, because Hailey was too kind, too good, to stoop to that level. Becky had won.

There was a knock at the door, and Hailey wiped the tears away and went to open the door. A young man stood at the door, probably our age, with sandy brown hair and crisp gray eyes.

"Miss. Hailey?" The man asked, looking nervous. He was dressed to the nines in a tuxedo, and I finally noticed Hailey's gorgeous green dress, and how her hair was done up in an elegant twist.

"Yes, and you are?"

"I'm Rebecca's brother, Brandon. I'm here to pick you up for the wedding." He posed it as a question, and Hailey grimaced, nodding. I couldn't believe that Hailey was actually attending the union of the love of her life and her enemy.

They left the room and I followed, watching as Hailey stared at the ground and Brandon stared at her.

"You must be very happy for your sister." Hailey said quietly in the elevator, breaking the silence that seemed to stretch for hours and miles.

Brandon frowned, "Not really, actually. We haven't talked in years and then she calls, telling me I can come to her wedding as long as I picked up some special guest on my way to the church. How do you know the bride and groom?"

Hailey sighed, and postponed her answer by exiting the elevator and heading outside. Brandon hailed a taxi and they climbed in, with me following.

"Brett and I were an item for a while before Becky and him got together." She said, looking down at her shoes instead of the gorgeous boy that stared at her with an intensity that Brett didn't seem able to hold.

"You don't seem very happy about that." He commented, and Hailey's mouth twisted into a wry grin.

"Do I not? I'm not very happy about having to go."

"Why do you have to go?"

Hailey sighed, "I don't know. I must be masochistic or something."

"Well...we could skip it, maybe go out for dinner or something." Hailey's eyes snapped up, meeting his gray ones and a genuine smile crept onto her face.

"That would be preferable." She laughed, "Are you sure you're okay about missing the wedding?"

"I couldn't care less." He assured her, and they changed the directions they had given to the driven and fell into a comfortable silence, which seemed to speak volumes.

Hailey may have missed her chance with Brett, but she seemed to have gotten something better, and I was so proud of her. She would be okay – I was sure of it. Hailey was tougher then I gave her credit for.

-

I let my eyes slowly open, a wide smiling splitting my face. I felt Jasper's hand slide up my arm and across my back, pulling me to him and into a hug.

"What did you see?" He breathed into my ear, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

"Zelner got demoted and I think Hailey is going to be okay." I replied, letting my fingers slid through Jasper's hair, enjoying the feeling of being able to do the simple motion. This time I wasn't going through withdrawal after the drugs.

Jasper kissed my lips softly, "That's perfect, then," he said softly, kissing me again, harder this time. My heart picked up its tempo and I shifted, pressing myself more into him. We had already decided that we wouldn't go all the way before a proper marriage. It had been a mutual agreement. But it was extremely hard for me to remember why we had decided that.

I felt Jasper's fingers fluttered towards the ties on the back of my dress and my breath hitched.

"Alice, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." He said between kisses.

"Yes?" I sighed as his lips created a light path down my neck. Suddenly he pulled away, and I felt a shock when he disappeared from my side. He knelt down on the ground in front of my and lightly took my left hand.

"Alice, I love you so much it hurts. I can't imagine my life without you. I would spend my whole life protecting you if it meant I could spend every moment by your side. Alice, will you marry me?"

"Of course!" I was ecstatic. I would be Mrs. Jasper Whitlock. I leaned forward and pressed my lips gently to his, and I felt him slide the ring onto my fourth finger – it wouldn't be naked anymore. I looked down to admire the piece of jewellery.

"Soon we can get married, and we can be husband and wife properly." Jasper said quietly into my ear, and I was suddenly filled with a jumble of emotions that overwhelmed me.

"We need to find a priest. Now."

.

One week. It took one week to find the priest and become a wedded couple, but it was well worth the wait. We had exchanged vows, just the two of us and the minister. There were no friends to watch the event, and neither of our families could know of our whereabouts. The town's mayor was the witness to our union.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to be Mrs. Whitlock. Jasper had said that it would be better if we married under his mother's maiden name, so if anyone came looking for a Mary Brandon and a Jasper Whitlock, they would only find Alice and Jasper Hale.

Jasper took up a job in a doctor's office, and I got to be the traditional housewife, buying groceries and looking forward to gardening when the ground thawed. We were settling down and I was so excited to be a normal, Canadian family.

But to be that normal family, I had to learn to control my visions, which I had begun to try with a fierce determination. I had only succumbed to a vision once in public, but I was beginning to learn how to hold them until I could get to the privacy of our own home.

Everything was just how I imagined it would be. The princess got her prince and lived happily ever after in their palace.

But there was a small, pessimistic voice that reminded me that I had felt like this before, way back when Jasper and I stayed at the Wild Rose Hotel and Zelner had found us. But we had won. The good triumphant over the evil, and no matter what was thrown our way, I would always see to it that we were the victors in our battles.

I would be in the dark no more.

* * *

**A/N: **-tears up- I can't believe it's over! But it's not really, because I have a whole sequel to explore! Now, about the sequel: I have no idea when I'll be able to post the first chapter and I don't know what I'm naming it (suggestions are welcomed!). I was hoping that I would be finished its chapter before I posted this, but that won't be able to happen. Just put me on author alert or something if you want to read it. I might post something on this story, but I will most likely forget.

I would love it so much if you reviewed! Did you like the chapter? Were there mistakes? I would really appreciate any suggestions you have towards this chapter. And I would _love_ to hear your ideas for the sequel, if you have any! It really helps me out, especially since my writing style changes with my moods, so in one section there would be happy-go-lucky Alice and then in the other she's being kidnapped, so suggestions might even out the chapters more!

One more thing, and then I'll let you leave, to review, hopefully! Jacquie Whitlock and I have a new blog thing on live journal, called Batman & Pigeon. I'll try to put a link to it on my profile. We're planning on talking about a different book or book series once a week, and to start it off, we each talked about Twilight. Yay! Anyways, if you want to check that out, you can.

Please review! And remember to vote for your favourite stories in the multiple award-voting things that are on! There are some fabulous stories nominated, lots of my favourites are on the ballot, I'm so excited.

Much love,

-Maggie


	5. Chapter 5: News Can Be Rather Important

I'm sorry, but this isn't a notice about the sequel being up, because I'm not finished it yet. It's not cooperating.

This is actually a quick note to share the fabulous news! In the Dark has been nominated for a Twilighters' Choice Award for best all human!

The link to the Award's site is on my profile. I would really, really appreciate it if you would check it out and vote when voting opens. And if, just maybe, you like a story of mine that hasn't been nominated, you could submit an entry for me :)

Thanks again for all the support you've shown me over the months. I promise, Casting Shadows – which will be its temporary name – has not been abandoned. I'm working on the sequel as best I can.

If you have any suggestions, ideas, or title names – because Casting Shadows sucks – please PM me! I really appreciate your help.

I'll now leave you with the musical quote for the first two chapters of the sequel.

"Don't save me, I'm not the one you should be looking out for. I know it's a lot to ask for, but don't save me, it'll make things way too complicated. Don't save me, I can make it on my own." Don't Save Me, Sing It Loud.

Do with the quote what you will :) It pretty much sums up the sequel, _and_ it's one of my favorite bands.

Thank you!

-Maggie


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